A New Life
by SpringBlossom4112
Summary: Sakura moves to new town after her dad's job relocation and in the middle getting harassed by a guy she meets some new friends, except one friendship starts to grow. Modern time period. SasuSaku, NaruHina, and maybe more.
1. The Move

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :..(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**Ch. 1 The Move**

Sakura slowly got out of her father's car and took a moment to stretch. She put down her arms and looked at the new house in front of her. Sakura and her father moved here in the middle of April due to her father's job. To her father it was oddly ironic; they used to live in the next town from here before her mother died. Sakura sighed as her long pink hair blew in the wind, she hated moving. There was only about two months before her junior year of high school was over but her father's boss said they couldn't wait. Now she was going to have to enter a new high school and start all over, not that she would tell her father that. She was all he had. She gazed at her new home as the moving trucks pulled up behind them. The new home was a beautiful two-story cream colored brick house. The shutters were a pale chocolate color to compliment the roof, and an assortment of colorful flowers had already been planted in front. Her father promised her they would have a beautiful home when he delivered the shock to her that they were moving. She bit her lip as she walked up to the house and opened the burgundy colored door. She gave a sad glance as she looked at the empty house, what was she expecting, the furniture wasn't brought in yet.

She turned as her father put a hand on her shoulder, **"**Isn't it nice?**"** Sakura plastered a fake smile on her face, **"**Yeah, it looks good.**"** Sakura's father's jade eyes gleamed at her response, **"**Well go pick out whatever room you want for your bedroom.**"** Sakura nodded with a smile and started to ponder through the house, the house wasn't a mansion or anything but it was for decently sized family. There was a beautiful kitchen connected to the dining room with humongous windows. There were two bathrooms excluding showers downstairs along with four large rooms. She quietly walked up the detailed stair case. There were two other fully completed bathrooms and five bedrooms. She walked into the one farthest back into the house and stared out the glorious window. She opened the window letting the spring breeze into the room. She had another flower garden in the backyard next to the patio, but what she loved the most was the large cherry blossom tree in the corner of their yard. She inhaled slowly taking in every scent of the flowers and cherry blossom tree. It was relaxing; she looked out behind her yard to see a large park a few miles back with a sparking lake.

Her father tapped on her door, **"**Is this the one you want?**"** Sakura turned as the breeze made her hair flow, **"**Yeah, I like this one.**"** Sakura's smile was slightly genuine. Sakura's father ran a hand through his jet black hair, **"**Well I'm down the hall whenever you need me. It's good that one of the bathrooms in connected to your room.**"** Sakura looked to where his gaze was directed; one of the bathrooms had two doors. One was connected to the hall and the other to her room. Sakura nodded recalling that it was pretty spacious. She looked at the window again, **"**Hey Dad, do you mind if I go down to that park over there?**"** Her father looked out the window, **"**Yeah of course, you can take the car while I tell the movers where to put stuff.**"** Sakura smiled as her dad handed her the keys and she glided down the stairs. She got into the silver Toyota Camry 2010 that was received from her father's job and used the GPS to navigate her way from the house to the nearby park. She gazed at a few of the different houses as she drove around. She smiled whenever she saw small children playing with their friends in the yard. It was 4:00 pm so everybody should be out of school. She found the park and pulled in parking space.

She took a deep breath and remembered to put her pink cell phone in the pocket of her jeans. She was wearing a button up red top with a small white design that showed off her curves and white sandals with the jeans. She clutched the keys in her hand as she got out of the car and walked into the park. She walked down the sidewalk observing her surroundings. Children were playing on swings and playground as their parents sat on benches talking to each other or reading. Teenage boys were playing football or other sports on the grassy fields and teen girls were giggling with best friends. She sighed as a few best friends walked past her, she missed home. She shook her head. _I don't need to be thinking that_ Sakura slipped her keys in her other pocket as she noticed a section of the park covered in cherry blossom trees. She walked towards them in awe; they were freshly bloomed and filled the air with their beautiful scent. She sat down on an empty bench under the trees and leaned her head back. She closed her eyes taking in the scent and feeling the breeze caress her skin. If she lived so close to something like this then maybe it wasn't quite so bad.

She stopped her breathing as she heard footsteps stop in front of her. She opened her jade eyes to see a boy around her age staring down at her with and eager look. She lifted her head up properly and watched him closely. The boy leaned down and placed a hand on the bench beside her head giving her direct eye contact, **"**You're awfully cute, how come I haven't seen you before?**"** Sakura gave him a calm glare, **"**Would you mind giving me my personal space back?**"** Sakura noticed a sick hunger swirl in the boy's eyes, **"**Come on, don't play so hard to get.**"** Sakura glared at him harder, **"**I have no interest in you so would you mind backing off please?**"** Her voice was becoming hard. The boy gave an obnoxious chuckle, **"**I can make you have interest in me.**"** The teenage boy leaned down to kiss her but before he got the chance Sakura plummeted her fist in his stomach. He gripped his stomach in pain and backed away breathing heavily. Sakura's punch had caused a lot of attention, **"**I told you I have no interest in you want with me.**"** Sakura got up and turned to go back to her car but the boy grabbed her arm tightly in fury, **"**You bitch!**"** Sakura winced as his grip became painfully tight. The furious boy grabbed her other arm tightly and pulled her closer to him, **"**You little bitch! How dare you touch me like that!**"** Sakura tried to squirm out of his hands since the grip on her arms were too tight for her to punch him again. The boy raised one of his hands preparing to slap her as hard as he could. Sakura shut her eyes blocking her face.

"I don't think that's the proper way to treat a girl.**"** Sakura opened her eyes to see a dark haired boy her age holding her attackers hand so she couldn't be hit. The blonde friend walked up and gripped her attackers other hand that was crushing her arm, **"**Let her go.**"** Her furious attacker let go of her to make the two other boys let go. The moment they let go he quickly pushed Sakura in anger and turned to leave. Sakura grunted as she fell hard to the ground on her back slamming her head. The blonde boy growled, **"**You ass!**"** the blonde teen punched her attackers face hard as she pushed herself up from the ground and held her head in pain. The dark haired boy leaned down to her and spoke in a cool voice, **"**Are you okay?**"** Sakura looked at his dark onyx eyes and removed her hand from her head, **"**I'm fine.**"** The blonde finally let her attacker leave after a good beating. Sakura stood up and staggered as pain shot through her head again. The dark haired boy held her arm to keep her steady, **"**We should take you to the doctor.**"** Sakura shook her head and stood up straight letting him put down his arm, **"**No I'm fine, but thanks for your help.**"** The blonde walked up to her, **"**Are you sure you're okay?**"** Sakura nodded and gave a genuine smile, **"**Yeah I'm sure.**"** The blonde smiled back at her, **"**Alright, hey I don't think I've seen you around. What's your name?**"** **"**Sakura Haruno**"** The blonde smiled, **"**Nice to meet you Sakura-chan, I'm Naruto Uzumaki and the teme next to you is Sasuke Uchiha.**"** Sasuke sighed waiting for some big reaction to her hearing the name Uchiha. **"**It's nice to meet you too. Thanks for the help but I'm gonna head home.**"** Sasuke blinked in surprise, she didn't react to his name. Naruto waved at Sakura as she started to walk away, **"**Bye Sakura, and hey if you ever need us again just ask!**"** Sakura smiled happily and waved back and headed for her car.

Naruto smiled and slapped Sasuke's back, **"**Hey what's with your surprised face?**"** Sasuke slapped the back of Naruto's head, **"**Nothing, let's go dobe.**"**

**_back at Sakura's house_**

Sakura pulled into the driveway noticing the moving vans were gone. She dug through the car and grabbed two pain pills and drank them with water. Her head hurt like hell but she didn't want to trouble Naruto and Sasuke anymore since they already helped her enough. She turned the car off and walked through the front door of her new home. She saw piles of boxes and furniture still stuck down stairs. Her father popped out of the kitchen, **"**Hey Sakura I had the movers put all our stuff in our rooms. They're going to come back tomorrow to help out more while you're at school. Sakura's mind screamed at the word school. She was going to have to go to her new school tomorrow and be forced to start all over. Sakura's father looked at her suspiciously, **"**Did something happen you seem…more exhausted than earlier.**"** Sakura shook her head nervously, **"**No I'm fine.**"** Her father looked at her for a moment, **"**Alright if you say so, you're new school uniform is in your room and dinner will be ready soon. Sakura nodded and ran up stairs. She shut her bedroom door behind her and looked at all her belonging in boxes piled on her bed and floors. She sighed as she looked at the school uniform, it was a white collared shirt with a dark grey skirt and red tie. There was also a long sleeves version of the shirt and a matching dark grey jacket for winter.

She opened her closet and hung the uniform in there and tried to find the box that held her beds sheets and comforter. She managed to find the white sheets and comforter with a beautiful threaded design with different shades of green on it. She put her bed together and decided to find and put away her clothes as she waited for dinner to be ready. _It doesn't seem like I left anything… _She sat down for a minute as her head continued to throb, she lightly touched the sensitive tissue. There was no breakage in the skin just swelling, she'd grab a bag of ice to put on it after dinner when her father wasn't looking. Sakura lifted up the sleeves going half way down her arms to see bruises of the guy's hands on each arm. She sighed as she covered them back up, it was an eventful first day living here. She got up from her bed and returned to putting away her clothes.

Her father knocked and opened her door, **"**Dinner's ready.**"** Sakura turned to look at him and nodded. She followed him down the stairs and then saw the big dinner for them. Her father gave a nervous laugh, **"**I thought we could have a nice dinner as a new beginning here.**"** Sakura smiled sadly, her father was trying so hard to make her love it here, **"**It looks great.**"** They ate standing up and using the counters since the kitchen furniture hadn't been set up yet. The conversation was mostly lead by Sakura's father trying to think of all the good things about the town they now lived in, **"**Oh Sakura, You can take the car to school tomorrow since I'll be here all day helping the movers.**"** Sakura glanced at him a little surprised, he'd never let her take the car to school before, **"**Thanks…**"** Sakura's father twisted his fork around in his hand, **"**I made sure my boss won't move my job again until you graduate. Also since we're going to be here for a while and you already turned seventeen last month I figured you should have your own car. I trust you with one and you could use it in college and everything.**"** Sakura stared at her father in shock, **"**Dad it's okay, I mean I'd love a car, but you don't need to get me a car just to try and make me feel at home. I'll adjust soon enough, it's okay.**"** Sakura's father started at her for a while and nodded. Dinner was pretty much silent for the rest of the time.

Sakura's father did the dishes as Sakura ran back up to her room. _Dad's trying so hard! _She laid on her bed and slammed her fists into her pillow. Her father always tried to so hard since her mother died from cancer when she was seven. Sakura didn't call her life tragic or go around repeatedly saying she missed her mother. She did miss her horribly but she wasn't going to let that drag her down while her father was trying his hardest to be a single parent and make up for the loss of her mother. She gripped her pillow as hard as she could and then sat up taking relaxing breaths. She rummaged through the boxes and placed her alarm clock on her dresser and plugged it in. School started at 8:00am so she set it at 6:15am since she didn't know how long it would take her to get ready or how far the school was. She then rummaged through her boxes and placed everything she used in the bathroom in its new place and looked at herself in the mirror. She lightly smacked herself and gave her best smile, sadness slowly crept back on her face as she stared at her reflection. She didn't want to move, she didn't want to be forced to start over again. She didn't want to be the new kid or go to a new school without any friends. Her jade eyes became watery as she thought about her first day of school tomorrow. She shook her head and wiped her eyes. _Tomorrow is only a Thursday, I just have to bear through two days and then I can adjust on the weekend. _She got dressed in a red t-shirt and black short-shorts for her pajamas and took another pain pill for her head. It was only 8:30pm but she was tired and crawled under the covers. _The sooner tomorrow comes, the sooner I can get it over with._

**_the next day_**

Sakura woke up startled as her alarm clock screamed at her. She sighed recalling what today was. She avoided the boxes and turned her alarm clock off. She sighed and stepped into her bathroom, she painfully shut her eyes after she turned her lights on. She adjusted her eyes and turned on the shower. She placed one of her white towels next to the shower and slowly slipped out of her pajamas. She checked to make sure the water was hot and stepped into the shower. She sighed letting the hot water relax all her tense muscles. She washed her long pink hair thoroughly with her favorite strawberry scented shampoo. Once she was fully washed she turned off the water and reached for her white towel. She slipped it on and grabbed another one to wrap her hair up in. She walked back in her room and got out her clothes. She kept her hair up in the towel as she slid her new uniform on nervously. She smoothed down the dark grey skirt and tightened the red tied around her white shirt. She walked back in the bathroom and began blow drying her hair. Once her hair was dry she brushed it making sure it was smooth and straight. Thanks to her mother Sakura inherited naturally dark, long, and curved lashes. Sakura's eyes widened in alarm as she noticed the bruises on her arms were only half way covered by her sleeves. _Shit! _Her mind scrambled for what to do but she didn't own any foundation. Sakura pursed her beautifully colored lips. There was really nothing she could do, she groaned reminding herself to go buy some foundation after school.

She grabbed her red ribbon and tied it nicely around her hair like a headband. She checked her appearance again in her new uniform and gave a nervous gulp. She turned the lights off in her bathroom and sat on her bed. She slipped her knee length dark grey socks on and slipped on her white school shoes. She grabbed her school briefcase and gave a small smile at the pink flower key chain that was hanging on it. Her mother had given it to her. She walked down stairs with a sigh of relief noticing her father wasn't awake yet. Now he wouldn't see the bruises on her arms as long as she remembered to go buy foundation after school. She looked at the counter and saw some money with a note. _"I'm sorry I didn't buy any breakfast food yet, but you can use this to buy breakfast and lunch today. Love, Dad" _Sakura smiled and grabbed the money and the car keys sitting near it. She looked at the time, it was only 7:20am. She walked out to the car admiring the sunrise and set the GPS to find the route to the school. On the way there she stopped by a bakery she found and ordered her breakfast.

After a twenty minute drive she arrived at the school. _Kohona High School… _She gulped and nervously drove around the parking lot finding a spot in the middle hoping nobody usually parked there. She grabbed her briefcase and headed towards the school after locking the car. She walked through the school courtyard seeing groups of friends walking in early like her but they got there early to hang out. Sakura walked through the main entrance in shaking from nervousness. She looked around and saw a tan adult with dark hair smoking a cigarette. She walked up to him nervously, **"**Excuse me, where's the principal's office?**"** The man looked down at her assuming she was new since he was sure he'd remember a student with pink hair, **"**Follow me, I'm Asuma.**"** Sakura nodded and followed. They walked not that long down a few halls and he opened the door to the office for her, **"**Here you go.**"** Sakura gave a small smile, **"**Thanks Asuma-sensei.**"** Sakura walked to the main desk trembling a little and looked at a woman with short black hair, **"**Excuse me, I'm suppose to meet the principal. It's my first day.**"** The woman looked up at her and gave a caring smile, **"**Yes, you must be Sakura. Come with me.**"** Sakura watched her get up out of her seat and followed her farther into the office. The woman knocked on the door and was commanded for entrance. The woman opened the door revealing a blonde woman at a desk, **"**Tsunade-sama I have the new student Sakura here for you.**"** Tsunade looked up and smiled, **"**Thank you Shizune, you may leave her here.**"**

Shizune left as Sakura stood in front of the principal's desk. Tsunade motioned for her to sit down as she pulled out a file. Sakura sat down admiring the beautiful principal. Tsunade opened the file, **"**Usually students have to take an exam to get into this school but with your grades I made an exception. I'm sure you'll do well here and that you'll stay out of trouble.**"** Sakura nodded as Tsunade handed her a folder. **"**In there is your schedule and school rules. I have informed your teacher that your coming and that you should be able to catch up quickly due to your excellence in your previous school. I expect a lot out of you Ms. Haruno.**"** Sakura nodded nervously and read her schedule. She almost jumped as she heard the first bell ring. **"**Well Ms. Haruno get to class and good luck.**"** Sakura nodded nervously and gave a fake smile, **"**Thank you Tsunade-sama.**"** Sakura shook as she walked navigating her way to her classroom. Her heart lurched as the final bell rang. She trembled looking up at the room number 703, her classroom. She took deep breaths and knocked on the door. She heard a man say enter and took a final breath before opening the door.

**_authors notes_**

So I decided to have a modern fanfic this time just to contrast my stories. It will get better of course since it's only the first chapter and I bet you can take an easy guess at who's in her class. So what do you think of my idea? It randomly popped in my head and I kind of liked it and figured I could make a good story off it. Anyway please review!


	2. Friends

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :..(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**Ch. 2 Friends**

Sakura trembled looking up at the room number 703, her classroom. She took deep breaths and knocked on the door. She heard a man say enter and took a final breath before opening the door. She slid the door open and walked as calmly as she could ,while her long pink hair flowed, up to the teacher. The teacher had grey hair and what looked like a medical mask covering his mouth and nose. The whole class stared at her. Some boys looked at her blushing, some girls looked at her in jealously, but a majority of them looked at her in curiosity after noticing the bruises on her arms. The teacher looked over to her, **"**You must be the new student, I'm Hatake Kakashi. Would you care to introduce yourself.**"** Students whispered creating theories about the bruises on her arms. Sakura had never been so nervous in her life but gave a small smile, **"**I'm Sakura Haruno, it's nice to meet you all.**"** Sakura's hands trembled clutching her briefcase tightly. **"**Sakura-chan!**"** Sakura's head popped up in surprise as she heard her name being screamed and glanced to where it was coming from. She looked shocked as she saw Naruto standing up waving at her giving his biggest grin. Sakura blinked in surprise not sure what to say, she looked a few desks beside him and saw Sasuke in the class as well. Kakashi ignored Naruto and looked down at Sakura, **"**You can take that empty desk in the middle of the room.**"** Sakura nodded and quickly headed to her seat. She smiled in her head that she sat next to Sasuke and two seats from Naruto. She felt a little relieved to know they were in her classes. She didn't want to expect anything out of them but she was just glad she actually knew somebody in here.

Sasuke watched Sakura in the corner of his eyes. He was surprised to see her again, especially in his school. He gave an unpleasant look as he stared at the bruises on her arms. He recalled the boy from yesterday gripping her arms tightly. He couldn't help but feel like hunting down the boy from yesterday and punching him. Sasuke didn't really have a soft spot for girls like Naruto, but he knew that wasn't the right way to treat a girl just because she turned you down. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if she got bruises that bad then how bad her head could be. She said she was fine but it didn't look like it from her arms. He wouldn't admit it but she was on his mind last night. The Uchiha clan had billions of dollars from their corporations and police work. They were known everywhere and by everyone, because of that people always tried to get close to him for money or think of him as a rich Uchiha instead of Sasuke. But she didn't react at all, every other girl that learned his name would go in awe over his money unless they were rich themselves. Sasuke finally directed his attention back to Kakashi as he started to give notes.

Sakura diligently took notes, writing everything she heard. It wasn't really new material but she needed to make sure she knew how far the class had gotten. Kakashi continued to ramble on about Japanese literature as the class went by. Sakura sighed as the first bell rang meaning her first class was over and done with. According to her schedule she had five more minutes before the next teacher came in to teach Advanced Chemistry. She sighed and propped her arm up to lean her face into her hand. Naruto quickly stood up and jumped over the desk in between him and Sakura which caused him to receive a yell from a girl with a blonde ponytail. Sakura blinked in shock as Naruto suddenly leaned down and waved his hand in front of her face, **"**Hi Sakura-chan!**"** Sakura stared at him in shock that actually bothered to talk to her, **"**Hi…**"** Naruto continued to grin at her, **"**I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. I should've known you came to my school.**"** Sakura still stared at him surprised, they had only spoke for a few minutes yesterday and he was being so friendly to her, **"**Uh, same here.**"** Naruto laughed, **"**Come on Sakura-chan don't act so tense. You're acting like Sasuke-teme!**"** Sakura cocked an eyebrow, she wasn't tense just surprised.

"Shut up Dobe.**"** Sakura turned to gaze at Sasuke next to her. He was crossing his arms while leaning back in his chair wand glancing at them from the corner of his eyes. Sakura didn't pay much attention yesterday but he was kind of good looking. **"**Those bruises are from yesterday aren't they?**"** Sakura blinked at him and then gave a solemn nod, **"**Yeah, but it's not a big deal. Thanks again for yesterday though.**"** Sasuke stared at her blankly, **"**What about your head?**"** Sakura sighed, **"**It's fine like I said yesterday.**"** Sasuke watched her curiously, her tone was a little annoyed. No girl had ever shown their annoyance him before either. Naruto laughed, **"**It seems like you punched that asshole pretty hard though.**"** Sakura gave a small smile, **"**Me and some old friends used to go to a doujo together when we were younger.**"** Naruto blinked in surprise, **"**Really? That's awesome we should spar sometime!**"** Sakura blinked, _Was that an invitation to hang out? _**"**Um…sure**"**

A dark haired woman walked in and clapped her hands, **"**Alright class settle down and get ready to learn.**"** The woman called Kurenai gave notes just like the previous teacher. The class went by quickly and to Sakura's dread it was time for lunch. She stood up slowly after the bell rung for lunch and grabbed her money out of her briefcase. She bit her lip trying to plan a way where she could eat without having to sit down since she would be alone. **"**Come on Sakura-chan let's have lunch!**"** Sakura looked at him grinning at her and Sasuke standing next to him. _They're waiting for me…_ Sakura couldn't describe the amount of relief and happiness she felt. For the first time since she moved here she gave one of her large beautiful smiles, **"**Okay!**"**

Sasuke blinked at her, her smile was like nothing he'd seen before. She jogged up to them with her big smile so they could leave. They walked down the hall to lunch as Naruto chatted away. Sakura's eyes widened as they walked into the cafeteria, it was twice as big as her old schools and there were tables outside for them to eat at too. Naruto led the way to the lunch line as Sasuke went to sit at their table. **"**Sasuke-teme always brings fancy lunches from home.**"** Sakura giggled at him, **"**You always insult him even though you're friends.**"** Naruto gave a proud grin, **"**It's because we've been best friends since we were kids. I'm the only one who can get away with insulting him too!**"** Sakura smiled as she put some food on her tray. This school actually had nice food, her last school's food was hardly edible. After she paid Naruto led her outside to their crowded table.

"Hey guys meet Sakura-chan!**"** Sakura blushed as the whole table turned to look at her. Naruto pushed her back, **"**You can sit in between Ino and Hinata!**"** Sasuke couldn't help but notice at the small wince Sakura gave after Naruto made contact with her back. Sakura nervously sat in between the two girls remembering she had landed on her back pretty hard yesterday. Naruto sat down next to Sasuke, **"**Okay Sakura so starting on your left is Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Shino, Me, Sasuke-teme, Kiba, and Hinata. They all waved and said hi. Sakura smiled nervously, **"**Hi it's nice to meet you.**"** They were all from her class and seemed pretty friendly. Ino put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, **"**So Sakura, what are your bruises from? The whole class is dying to know!**"** Sakura awkwardly looked away from Ino's smile, **"**Um…**"**

"Must you get into everyone's business Ino?**"** Ino glanced at Sasuke without losing her smile, **"**I'm just trying to get to know Sakura.**"** Sakura tapped her fingers, she wanted to get to know everybody but talking about some guy assaulting her felt kind of awkward. **"**She punched a guy who was harassing her.**"** Sakura immediately glanced at Shino who said it, **"**How'd you know that?**"** Shino pushed his glasses up, **"**I was at the park yesterday, yet Naruto or Sasuke didn't notice.**"** Sakura watched him start act all depressed and nervously looked at the rest of her classmates shocked expressions, **"**Um yea…but Naruto and Sasuke-kun helped me so it's not a big deal.**"** Hinata nervously glanced at Sakura with her caring lavender eyes, **"**A-are you alright?**"** Sakura gave a fake laugh, **"**Yeah I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me.**"**

Sasuke watched her closely trying to find any sign of her possibly lying, but it was too hard. He knew he saw her wince when Naruto pushed her and she had landed on her back pretty hard yesterday. He sighed, he wouldn't be able to figure it out, he had only met her yesterday. He started eating again as his friends began interviewing Sakura. Ino swirled her Diet Coke in her hand, **"**So why'd you enter our school so late in the year.**"** Sakura took a sip of her water, **"**My Dad had a job transfer again but he made sure that's he won't get another one until I graduate.**"** Kiba noticed how she said again, **"**How many times have you moved for his job?**"** Sakura gave a sad smile, **"**This is the third time, but that's not too much.**"** She knew it really wasn't. Some people had to move jobs every year or more. What she hated was how settled she got in her past homes and then she was forced to start over.

Hinata looked at Sakura sadly, she knew Sakura didn't like moving. Hinata had moved a lot when she was younger while her father was trying to expand his business and she hated it. Having to start over was so lonely. Luckily Hinata's father finally settled down here in Kohonagakure when she was eleven and Hinata managed to make the friends she was surrounded by now. **"**Sakura when did you move here?**"** Sakura looked at Hinata, **"**Just yesterday afternoon.**"** Hinata looked at her in surprise, **"**That's a very quick change; you haven't even finished unpacking yet have you?**"** Sakura took a sip of her water and kept her smile on her face, **"**No I haven't really unpacked at all. I just put the stuff I needed in place but my dad is working with the movers today.**"** Sakura gave a fake laugh trying to push away the empty feeling she had in her new house.

After lunch the day went pretty fast. Her other teachers were Asuma for Advanced Algebra, Gai for Gym, and Yamato for Japanese history. When the last bell rang Sakura picked her briefcase up and took the car keys out of it. Before she left from behind her desk Hinata walked up to her, **"**W-would you like me to help you set up your home?**"** Sakura stared at her in awe, **"**Yeah, that would really be great. Thank you so much Hinata.**"** Sakura couldn't believe how lucky she was to actually bring somebody home on her first day of school. _This means we're friends right? _Sakura drove Hinata since Hinata was usually picked up by one of her father's drivers. Sakura remembered to get foundation at the store and made Hinata promise not to tell so her father wouldn't worry. Sakura pulled into the driveway seeing the mover's truck on the side of the road. Hinata smiled, **"**It's a beautiful house.**"** Sakura looked up at it as she got out of the car, **"**Yeah I guess it is.**"**

Sakura opened the burgundy door to her house, **"**I'm home!**"** Sakura walked in surprised to see no boxes lying on the floor and the living room already set up with a fire going in the fire place. Sakura's father stepped out from the hall, **"**Welcome home!**"** He gave a surprised glance to see Sakura had brought someone with her. Sakura smiled at her father's surprise, **"**This is Hinata I met her at school.**"** Sakura's father quickly walked over and held out his hand, **"**I'm Seichii Haruno; it really is a pleasure to meet you.**"** Hinata gave a kind smile as she shook his hand, **"**I'm Hinata Hyugga, it's nice to meet you too.**"** Sakura's father's eyes widened, **"**Hyugga? That's right; I forgot the Hyugga clan lived here. Welcome to our home.**"** Sakura watched her father curiously; he always got so formal when people from important families were around. Sakura's mother raised her not to care about those kinds of things. She was told that you should a treat a person for who they are, not by their name.

Sakura handed her father back the car keys, **"**Come on Hinata, let's go upstairs.**"** Sakura's father's eyes widened in alarm, **"**Wait!**"** Sakura looked at him surprised, he never shouted. **"**I want to show you something first.**"** She nodded and followed him with Hinata down the hall. He opened the door to one of the rooms, **"**Look**"** Sakura walked in and smiled. The grand piano she played was in there along with lots of flowers, a couch for an audience, and a big portrait of her and her parents when she was younger on the wall. Sakura ran over to the piano and lifted the glossy wooden Fall that covered the keys. She looked at the keys her and her mother used to play together. She looked over to Hinata and her father, **"**Do you mind if I play?**"** They both nodded at her eager face. She sat on the bench and took off her red ribbon. She re-tied it to pull her back. She took a soothing breath and began to play. She closed her eyes as she let her fingers play the keys. Hinata almost gasped at the beauty of the song Sakura was playing (**Pachelbel's Canon in D performed by Lee Galloway***on YouTube**). Sakura's father watched his daughter in awe. Sakura loved the piano, after her mother died she wouldn't play for over a year but he eventually convinced her to not give it up. Hinata closed her eyes and listened to the beauty closely as the sounds echoched in her heart. It made her feel so peaceful that she wanted to cry tears of joy.

When Sakura finished Hinata almost felt sad because the song was over, **"**Sakura, that was so beautiful.**"** Sakura genuinely smiled at Hinata. It was the first time she had gotten to play the piano in her new house, **"**Thanks, it's my favorite one to play.**"** Sakura untied her hair ribbon and replaced it to being a headband again. She closed the piano up happily and led Hinata to her room. Hinata smiled as she looked out Sakura's window, **"**You're backyard is beautiful, and you have a wonderful view of the park. **"** Sakura nodded, **"**I love all the cherry blossom trees in the park and my yard.**"** Hinata looked at Sakura's genuine smile and couldn't help but smile back. Hinata looked at the boxes, **"**So where should we start?**"** Sakura smiled. _I think we're friends… _They started off putting the rest of the clothes away that Sakura didn't get too yesterday. After that they set up Sakura's stereo on the dresser and organized the CDs next to it. They then put Sakura's large book collection on her shook shelf.

Hinata couldn't notice all the types of books, **"**You have a lot of medical and piano books.**"** Sakura smiled, **"**Yeah I do. Someone can never learn too much about music and my goal is to be a doctor one day.**"** Hinata smiled, **"**That's a wonderful goal.**"** Sakura gave a small smile as she lifted a few photo frames out of a box, **"**My mother died of cancer when I was seven. Watching my mother go through cancer really made me wish I could do something. Even though I couldn't do anything for her, I want to become a doctor and do something for other people. My main goal is to find a cure to cancer and other diseases so I can save people from losing someone.**"** Hinata looked at Sakura with awe and understanding, **"**My mother also died from sickness. I was almost five so I don't remember much, but I can remember her smile.**"** Sakura looked at Hinata, they had been through the same thing. She had never met someone who had gone through the same thing. Sakura smiled at how close she felt to Hinata, she had just met the timid girl today but they understood each other so well.

They placed Sakura's pictures and a few other personal belongings around the room. The only things left were a few empty vases that Sakura was going to fill with flowers tomorrow. It was already 5:00pm when they finished Sakura's room. Hinata looked at the time, **"**I hate to leave but my father will want me home for dinner.**"** Sakura gave a sad smile, **"**I understand.**"** Hinata quickly made a call for her driver as they walked downstairs. Hinata looked shyly up to Sakura, **"**Before my driver gets here, could you play that song one more time?**"** Sakura looked at her happily and nodded. They rushed off to the piano room and Sakura began playing it again after tying her hair back. Hinata closed her eyes as she listened to the beautiful melodies surround her. Her heart cried with happiness as the felt so much peace wash through her, she had never heard a song so beautiful. She opened her eyes as the song ended and smiled, **"**Thank you**"** Sakura smiled at her as she closed the piano, **"**Thank you for letting me play.**"** They heard a car honk outside as they said goodbye.

Sakura waved as Hinata was driven away. She walked back in the house and saw her father's smiling face. She gave a big smile back feeling so happy to have met someone like Hinata.

**_at the Uchiha residence_**

Sasuke finished his homework and walked down the grand staircase for dinner. He hated living in a mansion, it was just too big. It seemed so empty since his parents were often away on business and so many rooms were pointless and unused. His parents weren't home again tonight. He walked into the kitchen and saw Itachi, **"**Shouldn't you be at college?**"** Itachi smiled at his little brother's confused face, **"**I wanted a home cooked meal tonight so I drove by, and I came to check up on you.**"** Sasuke rolled his eyes, **"**I can take care of myself.**"** Itachi patted Sasuke's head, **"**I know you can, but it can get lonely here. It also gets a little lonely at college without you to mess with.**"** Sasuke smirked, same old Itachi, **"**Do you wanna play some basketball after dinner?**"** Itachi nodded, **"**It can only be one game since I have to get back to school though.**"** Sasuke nodded, one game was good enough.

They ate dinner and Itachi bugged Sasuke about not having a girlfriend like always and Sasuke said he was a pain in the ass. They weren't exactly normal brothers but they acted like brothers none the less. Itachi was a good brother, not that Sasuke would ever admit it, but he was also a goal. It was Sasuke's goal to live up to Itachi's standards. He was managing to get 100s on all his grades like Itachi but he could never seem to play sports as well as him. When they finished dinner they went and played basketball. Even though Sasuke knew Itachi was better, Itachi let him win like always. Sasuke wanted Itachi to actually challenge him and try his hardest but he always let Sasuke win. Sasuke sighed after he said goodbye to Itachi.

He walked back in the house and looked at the time, it was already 9:30pm. Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he walked up the stairs to his room. His room had dark grey walls, a black comforter with navy sheets on his bed, dark wooden dressers and desk, and a dark red bookshelf. His mother would always talk about how he needed to add some brightness to his room but nothing bright interested him. Sakura popped up in his mind with her bright pink hair. He had never seen anyone with that shade of hair and he could tell it was natural too. Sasuke cursed wondering what the hell he was thinking about. He pushed the thoughts aside and got ready to go to bed since he had nothing left to do.

**_at the Haruno residence_**

Sakura put away the book she was reading feeling content. She walked in her bathroom and removed the foundation she had put on her arms before she came home. She went grabbed the same pajamas as yesterday. Before she slipped her pajama shirt on she went to go look in the mirror. She turned her head trying to see her back in the mirror. She sighed noticing that there was bruising on it from getting pushed to the ground yesterday. Good thing she didn't do anything for Gym today since she didn't have her athletic uniform yet. She would've changed clothes in the locker room and everyone would have seen the dark purple bruises decorating her back. She hated how easily she bruised with her pale skin. She slipped her pajama shirt on after getting a full examination on her back.

She walked back into her room and looked through her CDs. She found her favorite piano CD and put it in her stereo. She turned the volume down so her father wouldn't hear it and slipped under the covers of her bed. She looked at the picture frame of her mother and smiled. _I think I might like it here the most. Please keep watching me. _Sakura turned her lamp off and shut her eyes and she lay in her bed listening to the piano music as she drifted asleep.

**_authors notes_**

I promise I will get some SasuSaku in the next chapter, I was just trying to build the storyline up a little first. I really hope you listened to the piano song I put on there, it really is one of the most beautiful things you can hear unless you hate the piano. And yeah I'm making Itachi and Sasuke get along, I figured if their parents are still alive they shouldn't hate each other. It won't be mushy or anything just not hateful. So it'll get more interesting and I already have a lot of ideas roaming around my head for future chapters. Please comment!


	3. Different

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :..(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno:**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba:**

**InoSai:**

**:) ShikaTema:**

**Ch. 3 Different**

Sakura stretched as her alarm clock went off. Sakura hummed as she turned it off and walked in the bathroom. She let the water run as she smiled. She couldn't believe she was actually happy to be going to school, but she couldn't wait to see Hinata and her other new friends again. She sang lightly in the shower as she rinsed her hair. When she was done she wrapped herself and her hair in a towel again. She was feeling so happy that she went and put on one of her favorite CDs at a volume that wouldn't wake her father up. She hummed along with the music as she slipped her uniform on and giggled as she watched her skirt sway back and forth. She walked back in the bathroom and dried her hair. She put foundation on her bruises not even caring she had them and slipped her red ribbon on.

She smiled in the mirror. Even though she had gotten some bruises from that boy she was able to meet Naruto and Sasuke. She giggled about how different their behavior was as she brushed her hair a few more times. She bit her lip thinking about how unhappy Sasuke seemed to be. _His scowling face is kind of cute though… _She blushed at the thought and shook her head, she was acting like some drooling girl. Before she left the bathroom she couldn't help but spray some of her favorite perfume on. After she slipped her socks and shoes on, she grabbed her briefcase and hopped down the stairs, **"**You seem pretty happy this morning.**"**

Sakura turned and smiled at her father, **"**I guess I am. How come you're up already?**"** Sakura's father motioned her to come into the kitchen, **"**I wanted to make you breakfast since you had to go buy some yesterday.**"** Sakura smiled at her father, **"**It looks great.**"** They ate together have a nice conversation just like they used to at their old house. Sakura's father quickly got up and handed the car keys to Sakura's confused face, **"**I don't have to work till Monday so you can take it to school.**"** Sakura looked at him for a moment and then gave one of her best smiles, **"**Thanks Dad!**"** Sakura grabbed the lunch her father had prepared for her and kissed him on the cheek before she ran out the door.

Sakura smiled under the sunrise as she jumped in the car. Sakura turned the GPS on for directions and drove off. She wished she didn't need to use the GPS but she'd learn the way to school soon enough. Once she pulled into the parking lot the sun was completely up and it was only 7:45am. Sakura smiled, she had 15min to talk to her new friends. She tucked her lunch and car keys into her briefcase and jogged over to the school doors. She walked through the halls managing to remember how to get to her class. She smiled as she slid open the door to her classroom. The classroom was already half full as Sakura put her stuff on her desk. She walked over to Hinata's desk, **"**Good morning Hinata!**"**

Sasuke watched Sakura closely as she chatted with Hinata. He noticed immediately after Sakura walked in that she had covered her bruises up with make-up. He assumed it was for convenience. He noticed how close Hinata and Sakura acted and that Sakura seemed much happier today. _Why the hell do I care? It's just a girl. _Sasuke sighed, Itachi must be getting to him with all his girlfriend talks. **"**Good Morning Sasuke-kun!**"** Sasuke looked at Sakura as she sat down in her seat smiling at him. He nodded at her in response, her smile really was something else. Sasuke looked up as he saw Naruto sneaking up behind Sakura with a mischievous grin. Sakura almost screamed as Naruto quickly covered her eyes from behind. Before Naruto could say guess who Sakura slammed her elbow back into his ribs on reflex. Sakura turned around as she heard Naruto yelp in pain and let go, **"**Oh Naruto I'm sorry! I'm really sorry it's a reflex, are you okay?**"** Naruto clenched his arm around his ribs, **"**Jeez Sakura-chan, guys must come after you a lot. You hit hard!**"**

Sasuke watched Sakura repeatedly say sorry as the bell rang. She did hit him pretty hard and it seemed automatic. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how many times a guy like the one from two days ago came after Sakura. She seemed to know how to defend herself pretty well despite how kind she came off as. Sakura tapped her pencil as she waited for the teacher to come in. _Kakashi-sensei's late… _She assumed it was normal by the way everyone was still talking and acting like the bell hadn't rung. She tilted her face towards Sasuke, **"**Sasuke-kun is Kakashi-sensei always late like this?**"** Sasuke sighed at the question, **"**Basically**"** Sakura continued looking at him, his answers were always so short or just a gesture. It actually made Sakura feel a little interested, she wanted to learn more about her new friends but Sasuke seemed the most interesting. He seemed so different than anybody she'd ever met before. **"**What are you staring at?**"** Sakura blushed realizing she was still staring at him and turned her face towards her desk, **"**None of your business!**"** Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her, she actually raised her voice at him. No girl had ever done that either besides his mother.

Kakashi finally walked in and clapped his hand to get their attention, **"**Sorry I'm late, Tsunade-sama needed me to run some errands and I got lost.**"** Naruto stood up from his chair, **"**Liar!**"** Kakashi motioned for him to sit down, **"**Well since you all seem so energetic I'll just pass out your test now.**"** The whole class moaned and Kiba slapped the back of Naruto's head from behind. Kakashi passed out tests and looked down at Sakura when he got to her desk, **"**I expect you to take this too.**"** Sakura nodded as she looked at the test he handed to her. Once he passed all the tests out they began. Sakura wrote her name down and scanned over the questions. She gave a small smile and started circling answers. She had learned all of this before. She quickly circled answers and flipped through pages until she was done. She smiled with content as she flipped the test over and set her pencil down.

Sasuke saw her finish in the corner of his eye. He was on the last page but she still finished before him. _Nobody _had ever finished before him. He felt a little interested and angry from hurt pride as he circled the last few answers and set his pencil down. Sakura was different from any girl he had ever met, that for sure. She didn't fawn over his money, she knew how to fight back, she was extremely smart, and she had pink hair. It was a little irritating but he found her refreshing compared to other girls. He watched the back of her head as she stared out the window waiting for the rest of the class to finish. _Why is she so different? _It's not that he wanted her to be the same as everyone else, she just confused him. Sasuke didn't like being confused, confusion was a weak feeling.

After another half hour the only people left taking the test were Kiba and Naruto, like usual. Hinata watched Naruto sadly, Naruto seemed so stressed. The only reason Naruto was able to get into the school is because his guardian, Jiraya, was best friends with Tsunade and Naruto was given a simpler test. Even with a simpler test Naruto would've struggled if Jiraya didn't make him study his brains out. Hinata wanted to help him study but she got too shy around him. She sighed as she twisted her pencil around in her fingers, if only there was something she could do for him. If only she had more confidence.

"Times up, pass up your tests.**"** Naruto and Kiba both slammed their heads on their desk in unison and then circled random answers as fast as they could. They spent the rest of class reading their textbooks as Kakashi graded papers. The whole class looked up as Kakashi made a surprised sound, **"**I must say I'm impressed Sakura, you got a 100.**"** The whole class burst into conversation over the topic, Sakura had only heard Kakashi talk about the curriculum from yesterday and she got a 100. Sasuke stared at her proud smile, she really was different. The bell rang and Kakashi picked up all the tests and left the room. Naruto quickly jumped over Ino's desk and slammed a hand down on Sakura's desk, **"**How'd you do that?**"** Sakura giggled at the utter shock displayed on his face, **"**I already learned it in my old schools textbooks.**"** Naruto looked at her dumbfounded, **"**You actually read the textbooks?**"** Sakura couldn't help but laugh at his question, **"**Yeah, it has everything you're gonna learn in it.**"** Sakura continued to laugh as Naruto wore a look of utter surprise.

Sasuke's ears rung at the sound of her laugh. Her laugh was more beautiful than her smile. Sasuke frowned and ran his hand through his hair realizing he was thinking about her again. Sakura looked over and saw him frowning, **"**Sasuke-kun is something wrong?**"** Sasuke turned his face away, **"**No**"** Sakura blinked at him in confusion. Sakura frowned, she really didn't understand him. Ino pushed Naruto away to get her view back of Sakura, **"**Hey Sakura, me and Hinata were gonna hang out after school today. Wanna come?**"** Sakura gave a look of surprise for a moment but it was quickly replaced with a big smile, **"**I'd love to!**"**

**_a few hours later_**

Sakura smiled at the clock, there was only ten minutes till school was over. Sakura closed her notebook up as Yamato finished giving notes. Yamato cleared his throat, **"**As you know, you will all have you're final project due at the end of May. I'll post the pairings you'll be working in and the rubrics on the board. Make sure to look at it and grab a rubric before you leave.**"** Sakura became a little curious to who her partner would be. She hoped it was one of her new friends since she hadn't really met anyone else yet. She wanted someone who she knew would work hard too though. She watched Yamato post a piece of paper on the board and a stack of rubrics next to it. She put everything in her briefcase and pulled her car keys out feeling eager to see who her partner was and to hang out with Ino and Hinata.

Sasuke groaned in his mind at the idea of a group project. He hated group projects, he always had to worry about his partner bringing his grade down. He sighed as the bell rang and everyone headed towards the list. _I better not be paired with Dobe! _Sakura walked up to the list trying to see over a few heads feeling a little nervous. Once she managed to see she scanned for her name. _Sakura Haruno, Sakura Haruno… _her eyes widened as she saw Sasuke's name next to hers. She continued to stare at their names next to each other. She was paired with someone she knew but she was afraid Sasuke wouldn't want to work with her. She turned to see Sasuke shift his gaze from the list to her. She felt a little nervous as he looked at her, **"**Um, I hope we work well together.**"** Sasuke looked at her awkward smile, **"**Good, you're smart.**"**

Sakura blushed as he walked away. _Was that a compliment? _She quickly got out of everyone's way and saw Hinata and Ino next to the door waiting for her. She smiled at them feeling excited, **"**So where should we go?**"** Ino smiled and gave an automatic answer, **"**Let's go to the mall!**"** Sakura nodded, she hadn't been to the mall yet. Sakura once again drove Hinata and Ino drove her own purple convertible that she got for her 16th birthday in September. Hinata was the oldest since she turned seventeen back in December but her father preferred her to be driven by a few of his trusted employees or her trusted friends. Sakura had to use her GPS to get to the mall but when she pulled in a parking space her jaw dropped, **"**It's huge!**"** Hinata giggled as they got out of the car. Ino had parked nearby and jogged up to them, **"**Let's go!**"**

Sakura walked through the mall in amazement, the mall in her old town couldn't compare to this. Ino dragged her into a clothing store she hadn't seen before, **"**Let's buy some clothes to change into.**"** Luckily Sakura had plenty of money left from her birthday last month. The three girls enjoyed browsing through clothes and forcing each other to try different things on. Sakura bought and wore a short sleeve, red sweater dress that went half way down her thigh that Ino picked out with black leggings, a wide black belt around her waist, and short black boots. The sweater dress hugged her curves nicely but was still comfortable. Ino had gotten a purple tube top, a navy skirt, and white heels that had ribbons crossing up her legs. After much convincing Ino made Hinata get a lavender tank top that wrapped into a bow in the corner with a short sleeve white jacket on top. Sakura picked out a knee length navy skirt for Hinata due to Hinata's fear of showing too much skin and some black flats to go with it.

Sakura smiled as she carried her school uniform in a shopping bag, **"**Now what?**"** Ino gave an excited smile, **"**Let's go pick out our dresses for the dance!**"** Sakura blinked at Ino's eager face, **"**What dance?**"** Ino gasped at Sakura's question, **"**That's right you don't know! Our school has a dance in the middle of May every year. It's kind of like a banquet for the students.**"** Sakura tried to imagine what the dance would be like. She had been to parties but never a school dance. Sakura felt a little eager as Ino dragged her and Hinata into a store with the biggest collection of dresses Sakura had ever seen. Sakura walked over and ran her hands through the different fabrics, **"**I don't know where to start.**"** Ino gave an evil smile, **"**Let me and Hinata take care of that.**"**

While Ino grabbed Hinata to go pick out dresses for Sakura, Sakura took out her cell phone. She dialed a number and waited for an answer. **"**Hi honey is something wrong?**"** Sakura smiled at her father's voice, **"**No I just had a question. There's a dance coming up at school, is it alright if I use my credit card to buy a dress?**"** Sakura furrowed an eyebrow at her father's laughing on the phone, **"**I'm sorry honey it's just a little ironic. Yes you can go buy a dress but I also need you to go buy another dress for a dinner we're having with my boss and his family tomorrow.**"** _We have dinner with his boss tomorrow? _**"**Um alright, thanks Dad.**"** She hung up the phone and went to go find Ino and Hinata.

"Hey, actually I have to but two dresses. I have to go to dinner with my dad's boss tomorrow.**"** Ino's eyes widened, **"**Then there's no time to waste!**"** Throughout the next hour Sakura was forced to try on countless dresses. Lucky for Sakura she had put foundation on her back this morning since a lot of dresses showed her back. With all the commotion Sakura had managed to find her two dresses and Ino and Hinata had gotten theirs as well. Sakura sighed from exhaustion as they sat down at a table in the food court, **"**I didn't know looking for dresses was so exhausting.**"** Hinata giggled as Sakura leaned back in her chair, **"**It is with Ino.**"** Ino just smiled and took no offense to it. Ino blinked remembering something, **"**Oh yeah Sakura what's your number?**"** Sakura smiled as they exchanged numbers. They were the first people she had gotten numbers from since she moved here. **"**Sakura-chan, Ino, Hinata-chan!**"** They turned heads seeing Naruto shouting from across the mall and waving at them. Sakura smiled and waved back, she blinked as she noticed Sasuke standing next to him.

Sakura remembered she did need to ask when Sasuke wanted to work on the project. She giggled as Naruto and Sasuke tried to force through the crowd over to them. Suddenly a group of four guys walked over and stood in front of their table. Sakura narrowed her eyed as Ino gave a disgusted look at them and Hinata clenched her hands in fear. The guy with dark red hair gave a wicked smile, **"**You girls mind if we sit with you?**"** Sakura grunted in disgust as the guys eyes traveled down her and her friend's bodies, **"**Yes, we actually do mind and we would appreciate it if you left.**"** The four guys laughed and one with brown hair spoke, **"**You have quite a mouth cutie.**"** Sakura glared at him as he put a hand on her shoulder and she smacked it away, **"**Don't touch me.**"** The one with dark red hair leaned closer to her, **"**Or what?**"** Sakura fumed at how cocky the guys acted.

Naruto pushed his way through the crowd and looked around, **"**Where'd they go?**"** Naruto suddenly saw a guy fall to the ground after a pinkette punched his face. Sasuke narrowed his eyebrows, **"**Found them.**"** The boys walked quickly over after seeing the guys get angry. Sakura glared down at the guys and Hinata watched in fear. Another guy tried to grab her but she collided her heel into his cheek and watched him crash to the ground. The two other guys glared her down and both charged at her. Sakura quickly jumped off her chair and pushed both of the guys on their backs to the floor. She landed on her feet watching them rub their faces. Suddenly the dark red head she punched first grabbed her ankle and pulled her hard out of her stance. Sakura waited to feel her body slam to the floor but instead landed into someone's chest who grabbed her arms to steady her.

**(red-head not Gaara! Or Sasori, just had Sasori in mind.)**

She looked up and saw it was Sasuke who had prevented her from falling. Naruto quickly slammed his foot into the dark red heads arm so he would let go of Sakura's ankle. The four guys got up and after Sasuke stared them down for a while they quickly left. Sasuke sighed and let go of Sakura, **"**Do you always get into this much trouble?**"** Sakura blushed and faced him with a pout, **"**It wasn't my fault!**"** Sasuke looked at her face still amazed that she was actually yelling at him, **"**Shouldn't you be saying thank you?**"** Sakura crossed her arms and turned her blushing face away, **"**Thanks I guess.**"** Naruto laughed as he watched Sakura get worked up, **"**You got some nice fighting moves Sakura-chan!**"** Ino nodded, **"**Yeah you really shocked me. I had no idea you could do that, but I'm glad you did.**"** Hinata smiled feeling relieved, **"**Thank you three for protecting us.**"**

Sakura smiled and sat back down in her seat, **"**Oh yeah Sasuke-kun, When do you wanna work on that project?**"** Sasuke sighed remembering he actually had to have a partner, **"**I don't know, I'll call you and we'll figure it out.**"** Sakura cocked an eyebrow, **"**You don't have my number.**"** Sasuke looked down at her, **"**Then give it to me.**"** Sasuke handed out his black cell phone waiting for her to put her number in it. Sakura stared at him for a minute and grabbed his phone and tossed him hers. Sakura blushed as she typed in her name and number. _It's been a long time since I've given a guy my number. _Naruto whined as they handed each other their phones back, **"**No fair! I want your number too!**"** Sakura giggled at Naruto's complaint and switched phones with him. Naruto looked up after typing in his number, **"**That's right, Hinata-chan I need your number so we can do our project too!**"** Hinata blushed past the shade of Sakura's hair. She nodded and took out her lavender phone, **"**Y-yeah.**"**

After they all exchanged numbers they talked for a few minutes and Sakura checked the time, it was already 5:35pm. Sakura sighed realizing she needed to head home even though she didn't want to separate from her friends. Sakura looked up at them with a small blush of nervousness on her cheeks, **"**I need to head home, but…Um, would you guys like to have dinner back at my house?**"** Sakura fiddled with the edge of her dress waiting for an answer. Ino laughed and nodded, **"**Yeah, but you don't have to be so nervous to ask.**"** Sakura's face brightened. Hinata smiled, **"**I'd love too. I just have to tell my Father real quick.**"** Sakura smiled even bigger and looked at Naruto and Sasuke with her excited eyes. Naruto crossed his arms behind his back, **"**Yay! I get to see Sakura-chan's house!**"** Sakura's heart raced with happiness and she looked towards Sasuke trying not to expect too much. Sasuke looked at her imagining actually having dinner with his friends instead of alone at his house. He nodded and Sakura blushed in surprise, she quickly texted her father saying she was bringing friends for dinner and stood up.

**_a few minutes later_**

Sakura couldn't stop smiling as she drove Hinata back to her house and everyone else followed her in their own cars. After her second day at her new school she was already bringing a group of friends over for dinner. She clenched the steering wheel in happiness as she pulled into her driveway. She quickly turned the car off and grabbed her shopping bags and briefcase out of the car with Hinata. She locked the car as the rest of them pulled up in their cars. Sakura cocked an eyebrow as Sasuke pulled up in his black 2010 Ferrari and Naruto pulled up in a red 2009 Mustang that Jiraya bought for him. Sakura muttered to Hinata under her breath, **"**Guys sure like to show off don't they.**"** Hinata giggled as all of them got out of their cars.

Sakura had an extra hop in her step as she opened the door, **"**I'm home!**"** Sakura held the door open as her friends walked in. Her father stepped out of the kitchen as a delicious aroma filled the house, **"**Welcome home sweetheart. It's nice to see you again Hinata.**"** Hinata smiled and waved at him. Sakura closed the door and gave an excited smile at her father, **"**Dad this is Ino, Sasuke-kun, Naruto, and you already know Hinata. Everybody this is my Dad.**"** They all waved and said hello at him. Sakura's father gave a great smile, **"**Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes so you guys can hang around.**"** Sakura nodded as he headed back into the kitchen.

Hinata gave an excited smile that they still had some time left, **"**Sakura please play the piano while we wait.**"** Sakura blushed at the idea of playing in front of more new friends and looked at them, **"**Is that alright?**"** They all nodded and headed off to the piano room. Sasuke observed how excited Hinata seemed that Sakura was going to play and watched Sakura closely. Sakura uncovered the keys to the piano and used her ribbon to tie her long hair back. Hinata held her hands together in excitement, **"**Can you play the same one as yesterday?**"** (**Pachelbel's Canon in D performed by Lee Galloway***on YouTube**). Sakura smiled and nodded. She took a deep breath and placed her hands on the keys. Sasuke watched her closely as she closed her jade orbs and played. His eyes widened slightly as she continued to play, he couldn't help but think it was beautiful. As she continued playing he couldn't help but relax as the melodies rang in his head. He watched her in awe, something he hadn't felt in a long time, as the beauty of the song grew stronger. He had never heard something played so wonderfully or that made him feel peaceful.

Sakura smiled as she played the last note and turned to smile at her friends. Sakura blushed immediately after seeing the small smile Sasuke showed for a second. _I take it back, he's not cute. He's really hot! _Sakura snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Ino clap a few times, **"**That was so beautiful Sakura!**"** Sakura smiled as she fixed the ribbon in her hair. Naruto ran over to her and crushed her with a hug, **"**Sakura-chan that was awesome! You can kick ass and play like that, that's so cool!**"** Sakura blushed pushed him off her as she giggled, **"**Thanks, but don't hug me like that. I might punch you by accident.**"** Naruto quickly backed off with a goofy grin. Sakura shut up the piano and stood up as her father called them for dinner.

Sakura's father had prepared and amazing dinner and they eagerly pulled up their extra chairs to the table. Sakura's father managed not to embarrass her and the house was filled with more laughter than Sakura had ever heard in her past houses in years. By the time they had finished dinner it was 7:30pm due to all the talking. Naruto held his belly, **"**I'm so stuffed! Thanks Mr. Haruno!**"** Sakura's father laughed as him and Sakura piled the dishes into the sink, **"**Thank you all for having dinner with my daughter.**"** Sakura lightly elbowed him in the shoulder. Sasuke watched Sakura make jokes with her father. Sasuke had actually given a few small smiles and laughs under his breath during dinner. He hadn't had such a good time at dinner in years. He smiled a little as he looked at Sakura's happy face, _She really is something…_

Sakura blushed and looked down at the floor after she saw Sasuke smiling at her. She subconsciously tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear before looking back up at her friends. She waved goodbye at her door as they all got into their cars and Hinata got into her driver's car. She walked back in the house as they all drove off and ran up to her room. She jumped on her bed and hugged her pillow, she felt so happy. She couldn't believe how lucky she had gotten to move here. She couldn't believe she was calling moving lucky. She smiled as she grabbed her mother's picture off her dresser. _Mom, you wouldn't believe how happy I am._

**_authors notes_**

So I kinda got some SasuSaku in there. It wouldn't be very in character to have them dating on their third day of knowing each other but it'll get there. Naruto doesn't have a crush on Sakura he's just really friendly. I wonder if you can guess who Sakura's father's boss is. So for the Ino and Shikamaru pairings I really like ShikaTema but I'll avoid it if voting over rules. For Ino I just think she should have somebody, it doesn't really matter to me who it is. Sai, TenTen, Neji, and Rock Lee will come in later; so will Karin :P Please comment!


	4. Dinner

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :..(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno:**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba:**

**InoSai: 1  
**

**:) ShikaTema: 1  
**

**Ch. 4 Dinner**

Sasuke blinked out of his hazy sleep as he felt a few hot sun rays hit his face. Once his eyes adjusted he immediately sat up after noticing a figure standing next to the window. After realizing who it was he relaxed his muscles and sighed, "I didn't know you were supposed to come back so soon." Sasuke's mother smiled at him softly, "Me and your father got back late last night but you were already asleep." Sasuke nodded as he ran a hand through his hair and checked the time, 9:22am, "So why'd you come back so soon?" Mikoto smiled as she tossed a shirt at him, "You really should wear a shirt when you sleep, you could get sick. We came back because you're father has to meet with one of his employees today." Sasuke nodded after he stood up and tossed the shirt his mother threw at him in the hamper. Mikoto walked gracefully towards the door knowing he was about to go shower, "We're having dinner with your father's employee's family tonight at 6pm so make sure to look nice." Sasuke sighed and nodded and he rummaged through his drawers for something to wear. Mikoto smiled kindly at him as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Sasuke tossed some clothes on his bed for the day and for the dinner later tonight. He sighed thinking about a few previous dinners with employee's families. _I really hope there's not some annoying girl again. _He walked in the bathroom connected to his room and turned on the hot water. Sasuke thought about what his mother said as he set a black towel down near the shower. She always bugged him about not wearing a shirt when he slept. He stopped wearing shirts when he slept years ago because he always got too hot when he slept with one on. He groaned recalling a maid who had brought him breakfast one morning and fainted after seeing him not wearing a shirt. _Maybe I should wear one… _Sasuke tossed the thought aside as he got in the shower. Sasuke always used unscented products because he found all other products nauseating at the smell. Itachi tried to convince him to buy some one day to pick up girls but Sasuke didn't care. Sakura popped in Sasuke's mind at the thought of picking up girls. Sakura's house was the first girl's house he'd been too by free will besides Hinata's to hang out with Neji. He thought about the previous dinner last night as he scrubbed some shampoo in his hair, he really did enjoy dinner last night compared to his usual ones by himself. Sakura was interesting, he'd give her that, even though she confused him. He'd only met her a few days ago but he had an urge to learn more about her. He concluded the reason was that he just wanted to stop feeling confused over her and nothing more.

Sasuke sighed again as he stepped out of the shower and wrapped the black towel around his waist. He couldn't imagine the hell Itachi would give him if he knew how much he was thinking about a girl. Sasuke quickly slipped some dark jeans on and ran his towel through his hair. He slipped on a long sleeve navy shirt and black vest on top. He slipped on some black converse, grabbed his phone, and headed down for breakfast. Sasuke almost smiled as he saw his whole family in the kitchen. His father was reading the newspaper as his mother was sipping some tea and Itachi was eating his breakfast. Itachi sometimes came home on the weekends when their parents were home. Sasuke stepped in the kitchen and sat where a plate of food was already ready for him, "Good Morning" Fugaku responded while still reading the paper, "Morning Sasuke, how's school going?" Sasuke swallowed a bite of his food, "Top scores in the class." Fugaku nodded, "Good" Sasuke looked back down at his food, his father was always so formal to him. Itachi smirked at his brother's troubled face and patted Sasuke's head, "Good job Sasuke…your hair is still wet." Mikoto cocked an eyebrow, "Sasuke are you really trying to get sick? You should take better care of yourself." Sasuke mumbled words nobody could make out as he bit into his toast. Mikoto would always find time to nag at Sasuke for his living habits but it was only because she cared and he knew that.

Sasuke ate slowly savoring the company of his family even though it was silent. When he was done he placed his plate in the sink and leaned against the counter trying to think of something to do for the day. He would usually ask Itachi to play sports with him but he didn't want his father to see Itachi holding back on him. He pulled out his phone as he scanned through some contacts since there was nothing interesting around the house. He stopped scanning as he saw Sakura's name in his phone, he smirked recalling how she beat up the group of guys before he got her number. He quickly walked out of the kitchen and towards his room as he dialed her number.

**_at the Haruno residence_**

Sakura moaned as she heard her cell phone go off interrupting her sleep. She reached her hand out trying to find the phone without looking. Once she grabbed she pressed a button and groggily opened her eyes, "Hello?" She blinked as she heard a small laugh on the other line, "Did I wake you?" Sakura lurched up in a sitting position as she heard the cool voice on the phone and checked the caller ID. Her eyes widened seeing that it was Sasuke, "Sasuke-kun? Oh hi!" She heard a muffled laugh again, "Hi" She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, "So what is it?" Sakura gripped her sheets wondering what he could've called for. "I figured we could work on that project today." For some reason Sakura felt a little disappointed, "Okay, where do you wanna work on it?" Sakura heard a short silence on the phone. "How about the library?" Sakura slid out from under the covers and walked down stairs to see if the car was in the driveway, "Yeah that's fine and I hate to bother you but my dad took the car already so could get me?" Sakura blushed thinking about being alone with him in the car. "That's fine, does in an hour sound good?" Sakura started running back up to her room, "That's great, thanks."

Sakura quickly tossed her phone on the bed after they said goodbyes and turned the shower on. She quickly picked out some clothes as the water heated up. When she was done she took a quick shower but making sure her hair was washed well. Afterwards she jumped out wrapping her hair and body in a towel. She chose to wear jeans capris along with her white, red pokka-dotted tank top that had a small red band right under her chest, and a short sleeve red jacket on top. She rushed back in the bathroom drying her long rosette hair. She brushed it a few times and tied it high up with her red ribbon. She put a little foundation on her bruised arms which were now just yellowish and a simple silver chain around her neck. She checked her reflection to make sure she looked okay and put some lip gloss on while blushing with Sasuke in mind. She quickly slid on her white sandals and grabbed her phone and project rubric before running down the stairs. She gave a quick text to her father as she saw Sasuke's car pull in front of her house.

Sasuke put the car in park as he sat in front of Sakura's house. He was about to call her to let her know he was here until he saw her quickly step out of her front door. His eyes followed her tracing her appearance in her regular clothes into his mind. He couldn't help but notice the way her long, pink pony tail swung back and forth as she jogged over to his car. He quickly jumped out of his thoughts as she got next to his car and he unlocked the door. He watched as she quickly sat down and smiled at him, "Thanks for the ride Sasuke-kun!" He looked at her bright smile and nodded in return. He finally brought his eyes away from her and set the car back to drive.

Sakura tucked her pink cell phone and folded project rubric in her pocket as they pulled out of her driveway. She stared out the window trying to memorize the direction he was driving so she could learn how to get there. Sasuke would occasionally look over at her staring out the window as he drove down the roads. He could tell she was trying to concentrate on something but he didn't know what. It was silent the whole drive besides the music on low volume. He pulled into a parking space and checked the time, 11:16am. He watched Sakura get out of the car at the same time as him and stare at the building. She perked his interest as he saw an excited smile spread across her face. He locked the car and followed her excited footsteps through the doors.

Sakura smiled as she stared at all the aisles of books on three floor levels, "There are so many books!" Sasuke assumed she liked reading as he motioned her to follow him towards the history section. They walked up the staircase onto the second level and sat near the history section. Sakura took the project rubric out of her pocket and unfolded it and set it down on the table. She read it quickly to figure out what they had to do, "So we have to pull together a portfolio of a chosen period in Japanese history." Sasuke nodded as he read the guidelines. Sakura almost groaned seeing that part of the portfolio was an eight page paper. Sasuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Let's look through books for a time period." Sasuke watched as Sakura nodded and seemed a little excited as she ran off into the maze of books.

Sakura walked down a few aisles and started scanning book names. She loved how big the library was, there was so many things she could learn from there. They probably had a section for musical compositions she could look at and more medical books than she could imagine. Sakura pulled out a large book labeled The Kamakura Period. She opened it up to a random page and scanned its information quickly. She walked back to the desk as she continued to read the book in her hands. When she got back to the desk she laid the book in front of Sasuke and leaned over his shoulder, "What about this?" Sasuke scanned the pages she was looking at and nodded, "This'll do." He turned towards her to tell her to find more books on it but stopped realizing she was leaning over his shoulder and her face was inches away from his.

Sakura's eyes immediately widened and she took a quick step back as her face flamed past her hair color. Sasuke turned his face away from her and looked back down at the book. Sakura took a few deep breaths, "Um, I-I'll go look for more books." She quickly walked away without waiting for a response and just kept walking until she felt like she had a safe distance. She leaned against a wall about ten aisles away from Sasuke and took a few slow breaths. She could still feel her hot cheeks as she gripped her hands together. _Why did I run off like that? _She sighed covering her eyes with her loose bangs. She didn't mean to overreact like that, but when she saw his face get so close to hers all her nerves jumped. She gripped her shirt as she felt her heart still racing and took one more deep breath. She exhaled slowly and then went to go look at whatever books she ran next to.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair after Sakura ran off. He didn't notice that she was leaning over his shoulder. He sighed as he rubbed his temples recalling the second their faces got so close. He unintentionally noticed how jade her eyes were and how soft her lips looked. He sighed again telling himself to forget about it as he flipped through a few more pages. He checked the time on his phone a few times waiting for her to come back. Once he got impatient he finally got up to look for her. Deep down he was also a little worried at the possibility some guys could be harassing her again. He walked down quite a few aisles until he finally saw her long pink hair. He cocked an eyebrow as he saw her sitting in a circle of books reading one very seriously. He took a few steps closer as she concentrated on what she was reading. He looked around to see what book section she was in and a few of the open books around her, "You like medical books?"

Sakura jumped a little at the sound of his voice; she looked up at him and gave a small smile, "Yeah, I wanna be a doctor one day so I learn what I can." Sakura realized she just told him her goal in life, "Sasuke-kun, what about you?" Sasuke looked down at her with a blank expression, "What about me?" Sakura gave a curious smile, "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. Sakura frowned wanting to know more about him, "Well isn't there anything you like or that interests you?" Sasuke sighed and shrugged his shoulders again, "Who knows." Sakura frowned at him a little longer and closed the book in her hand, "I guess we should get back to the project, sorry I got distracted." Sasuke nodded and helped her put the books away, "It's fine."

Sakura put the books away carefully making sure not to make contact with him due to what had just happened previously. They spent two more hours searching through books and book marking their research. Sakura would blush whenever Sasuke would have to lean towards her to point something out in front of her. Sakura read through a few more pages of a book feeling a little bored. She blushed heavily as her stomach growled loud enough for Sasuke to hear it. Sasuke stood up and closed the book he was reading. Sakura looked up at him as he closed a few more books, "What are you doing?" Sasuke glanced down at her, "You're hungry aren't you?" Sakura blushed and nodded as she closed a few more books and helped Sasuke carry them to the check out desk. Sasuke used his library card and they brought them to the car.

Sasuke turned the car on and looked at Sakura as he buckled his seatbelt, "What do you wanna eat?" Sakura looked around through the windows, "Anything's fine and I don't know what's around here." Sasuke nodded having a little trouble believing she just moved here a few days ago. They weren't close or anything but he had definitely spent more time with the pinkette than any other girl. He drove around the block and pulled into a familiar burger place. Sakura smiled and felt her mouth water as she opened the door to the smell of food; she was starving from skipping breakfast. She smiled looking at the food menu receiving a few looks from guys until they saw Sasuke standing next to her. She quickly ordered her food while Sasuke got some coffee and they sat down. Sasuke watched her with curiosity as she joyfully ate her burger, "You got a hamburger?" Sakura swallowed and looked up at him, "Of course I did, it's a burger place." Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, "Every other girl in here is eating salad. You got a burger and more." Sakura swallowed another bite, "Well excuse me if I'm hungry and I'm not like every other girl." Sasuke gave a small frown, "I didn't say I wanted you to be like every other girl." Sakura blushed lightly and quickly finished eating.

The car ride back to Sakura's house was pretty much silent as Sakura tried memorizing the way back to her house. Once they arrived Sakura noticed her father's car back and silently opened the door. She grabbed a few of the books and leaned down to Sasuke's eye level after getting out, "Thanks for today Sasuke-kun." She quickly walked up to her house as Sasuke watched. _Thanks for what today? _He shoved the thought aside as he pulled out of her driveway and drove home.

Sakura quickly closed the door behind her and saw her father sitting on the couch. Sakura's father lifted up his jade eyes from his book and smiled, "How did the project go?" Sakura smiled a little as she hugged the books a little closer to her chest, "It was good." Sakura's father looked at the clock, "We're gonna have to leave here in about two and a half hours for the dinner with my boss." Sakura nodded as she looked up at the time, 3:27pm. She jogged up the stairs and set the books down on her desk. She turned on one of her piano CDs and leaned against her shut door. Her heart was still beating a little fast from spending the day with Sasuke. She turned her music up louder and turned the shower on. She felt the need to take a hot shower before she got ready for dinner.

She slipped out of her normal clothes and let her long hair flow down from the ribbon then stepped into the shower. She let the hot water beat against her skin and sooth all her nerves as she hummed to the piano music she could lightly hear from her room. She washed her hair slowly thinking about all the little moments she felt her cheeks burn with Sasuke. She'd had feelings like that before but she couldn't assume anything since she'd only known him for a few days. She let the hot water beat her face a little longer before she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in towels. She walked over to her closet and took the dress out she bought and laid it carefully on her bed. She tried her long hair first before she slipped it on. The dress was a halter strapped burgundy dress that had a low back but high enough to remain classy. It went right down to above her knee with a little pleating waves. She watched it sway back and forth as she walked back into her bathroom. She used a long hair clip to swirl her rosette hair into a classy bun. She lightly curled a few hanging strands and slipped a hair clip in with a few crystal roses on it that her aunt gave her for her birthday. She knew the dinner was important so she put mascara on causing her eyelashes to be extra long and curly. She put on some lipstick that went with her skin tone well and placed some crystal rose earrings in. She replaced the foundation on her yellowish bruises and shut the lights off in her bathroom. She slipped on some silver heels that complimented the crystal roses and sprayed a little perfume. She sighed and walked downstairs where her father was waiting in his black work suit and dark green tie.

**_at the Uchiha residence_**

Sasuke sighed at the thought of the dinner as he slid on his black pants. He buttoned a navy collar shirt with a few loose buttons at the top and slipped on a black work blazer. He sat on his bed as he tied his black dress shoes and Itachi knocked on the door, "You don't look too happy." Sasuke looked up at Itachi dressed similar but with a deep red shirt, "You know how these dinner's are." Itachi nodded, all the dinners had been boring or drooling girls came with parents. Sasuke sighed as he stood up and walked with Itachi down the steps with his hands in his pockets. Mikoto was at the bottom of the stairs with her hair in a nice bun and she wore a deep purple dress to compliment her fair skin. Her heels matched the dress and so did her earrings. Mikoto looked up at them, "Oh you two look handsome, and you're right on time. They should be here any minute." They nodded as Fugaku walked out to them in his black suit with his black shirt fully buttoned and a grey tie.

Sasuke sighed as the bell rang and they all got in their typical order and Fugaku opened the door, "Welcome to our home Seichii and you have a lovely daughter." Sasuke cringed at the word daughter with drooling girls in mind until she saw a pinkette walk graciously into their home. It took him a minute to recognize her but when she gave him a surprised glance he noticed it was Sakura. Sakura widened her jade eyes, "Sasuke-kun?" The Uchiha family blinked at the surprise of them knowing each other. Sakura's father smiled, "Oh you were one of the kids over for dinner yesterday. I didn't know you were Fugaku's son." Sasuke nodded never taking his eyes off Sakura. The way the loose strands of her hair framed her face, the way her little make up gave off a beauty he didn't know existed, and the way her dress showed off her body without revealing too much. Itachi held his hand out after noticing Sasuke's distraction, "Hi it's nice to meet you." He shook hands with Mr. Haruno first then with Sakura, "So how do you know my brother?" Sakura smiled after dragging her eyes away from Sasuke, "We're in the same class and he helps me out a little with things."

Mikoto glided over to Sakura and smiled, "It's nice to meet you Sakura, I hope you take care of Sasuke at school." Sakura blushed a little at Mikoto's statement, "It's nice to meet you too, and I'll do my best." After they all finished shaking hands they sat down at a long dining table. The parents had small chatter as salads were placed on the table. Itachi looked over to Sasuke and saw the way he kept glancing at Sakura. Itachi gave a small smirk and directed his eyes at the pinkette. _She is far more beautiful than any other high school girl… _Itachi wasn't planning on making a move on her, he was just curious about the girl Sasuke seemed interested in. "So Sakura I recall you're father saying Sasuke had dinner with you last night. How did that go?" Sakura blushed at the way Itachi made it seem like a date, "Well there were a few other friends and my dad but it was a lot of fun." Mikoto smiled at Sakura, liking the impression that she gave off, "Sakura what do you like to do?" Sakura felt a little nervous at Sasuke's family questioning her as she moved her gaze to Mikoto, "I like music a lot and I'm very interested in a medical career." Fugaku nodded his approval of the career choice.

Itachi twirled his fork in his hand, "How long have you known my brother?" Sakura looked down at her food almost feeling a little disappointed, "Just a few days." Sakura wished she had known him longer. She wished she had known everybody longer so she would be closer to them. Mr. Haruno noticed the small surprise on Itachi's face, "We only moved here three days ago." Sasuke ate his food slowly, he didn't like the way his family was questioning Sakura so much. He didn't mind them learning more about her; they just seemed a little too interested. Sasuke looked back up at her nervously looking down at her food, to he was surprised at seeing her was an understatement. Even though it irritated him a little, he couldn't take his eyes off her for long. It would be against his teenage hormones to say he didn't think she was beautiful. Sasuke looked back down trying to shove the thoughts out of his head as the main course was set in front of him.

Sakura took a small bite of her food as the parents kept talking. She took a peak at Sasuke while he was eating. It would be a lie to say the way his shirt wasn't all the way buttoned and showing a little bit of his chest didn't make her anxious to be closer to him. She blushed and darted her eyes back down to her food. _What's wrong with me? _Sakura felt ridiculous getting so edgy around some guy she had just met a few days ago. She couldn't believe she had just met him a few days ago. She already felt such a yearn to learn more about him, but stronger than for her other friends. She looked up at his family members seeing the resemblance and different behaviors. Itachi seemed far more relaxed and even a little amused. Itachi was extremely good looking but he didn't seem captivate her interest. Fugaku seemed stern and serious and looked more like Itachi than Sasuke. Mikoto had a much more calm and graceful impression and resembled Sasuke more. Sakura frowned slightly at the odd way Mikoto reminded her of her mother. Sakura's mother had rosette hair all the way down her back, but it was a little wavy unlike Sakura's. Sakura always admired the way her mother's eyes could match the sky and the way her mother laughed. Sakura tightened her jaw a little trying to think of something else. She looked around trying to push the thoughts aside but kept looking at Mikoto and the way she reminded her of her mother, "Would you excuse me a moment, I need to use the restroom." Sasuke looked up as Sakura stood and received directions. He noticed the way her behavior seemed a little disturbed.

Sakura walked away smoothly but once she got out of sight she rushed into the bathroom. She covered her mouth with one of her hands and leaned against the door, she hadn't missed her mother this bad in a while. She closed her eyes and took slow breaths telling herself to calm down. She walked in front of the mirror making sure she had no appearance of wanting to cry. Sakura took a few more deep breaths and washed her hands as a subconscious way of cleaning away her lonely feeling. She dried her hands on a smooth towel and walked out the door. She took a few steps and then stopped seeing Sasuke leaning against the wall. He looked at her surprised and disturbed expression before she glanced down at the floor, "You seem off." Sakura froze at the blunt statement and rubbed a hand on the back of her neck, "Really? I feel fine." Sasuke looked at her feeling that she was lying and walked up in front of her. He looked down at her avoiding his eye contact and lightly twirled his finger in one of her lose strands of hair. Sakura blushed hard and immediately looked up at him. Sasuke looked in her jade eyes, "You look nice." He quickly dropped his hand and walked away. Sakura watched him walk away feeling her face on fire, his voice was emotionless but it still made her nerves tingle. She widened her eyes a little and touched her warm cheeks. It was official; she had a crush on Sasuke Uchiha.

**_authors notes_**

So I think this definitely got a little more SasuSaku in there. So Sasuke's family got involved and Itachi knows Sasuke likes Sakura even though Sasuke doesn't know it yet. Mikoto also has a slight notice of it which you'll hear about later. You got a little more description of Sakura's mother and Sakura's buried feelings about her. I'll probably add some NaruHina soon and a few of the missing characters. Please comment!


	5. Missing

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno:**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba:**

**InoSai: 1**

**:) ShikaTema: 1**

**Ch. 5 Missing**

Sasuke looked in her jade eyes, **"**You look nice**."** He quickly dropped his hand and walked away**.** Sakura watched him walk away feeling her face on fire, his voice was emotionless but it still made her nerves tingle**.** She widened her eyes a little and touched her warm cheeks**.** It was official; she had a crush on Sasuke Uchiha**.**

After Sasuke left Sakura went back to dinner a few minutes later**.** Itachi assumed Sasuke went to see her since he excused himself from dinner without reason**.** Itachi also couldn't help but notice the light coloring of Sakura's cheeks for the rest of dinner**.** As much as Sakura tried to act like nothing happened Mikoto noticed her distracted behavior and the way her face would flare when she looked at Sasuke, but besides Sakura's nerves the dinner went smoothly and she was relieved to go back home with her father**.**

Once they left Sasuke went up to his room like normal and threw off his black work blazer**.** He laid back on his bed and took a slow breath; he quickly shifted his gaze when he heard a knock on his door**.** Itachi was leaning against the door frame with a smirk plastered across his face**.** Sasuke watched the distinct humor on his face, **"**What?**"** Itachi took a happy sigh, **"**Oh, I'm just enjoying watching you grow up**."** Sasuke cocked and eyebrow at the statement, **"**What's that suppose to mean?**"** Itachi tsked him, **"**Sasuke there's no need to hide things from your brother**.** Sakura interests you doesn't she?**"** Sasuke shifted his gaze up at the wall, **"**Stop assuming things**."** Itachi gave a pleased smirk and walked happily away at the fact that Sasuke didn't deny it**.**

Sasuke watched him leave and then sat up on his bed**.** He wasn't interested; he just thought she was different**.** Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and unbuttoned his shirt before throwing it in the hamper**.** He shut the door and grabbed his black pajama pants to change into**.** Once he did, he stood around his room sighing that he had nothing to do and it was only 8:30pm**.** He shifted his eyes around the room and noticed the books from the library on his desk**.** The memories of his afternoon with Sakura crossed his mind**.** _She definitely is different… _His expression relaxed a little a little as the thoughts of her smile filled his mind**.** He sighed and pushed the thought away as he picked up one of the library books and began to read it**.**

**_at the Haruno Residence_**

Sakura closed the door of her room behind her**.** She slipped her heels off in a haze as she walked into her bathroom**.** She turned the lights on and stared at her reflection**.** She blushed harder noticing her cheeks were still pink**.** She looked down and fiddled with edge of her burgundy dress, she still had goose bumps**.** She sighed and took her earrings off**.** Her mind traced through the memories of dinner as she washed the make up off her face and light bruises**.** She took her hair clip out and let her rosette hair flow down**.** She twirled her finger through the same curl Sasuke did and blushed far past her hair color**.** _"You look nice." _She covered her face with her hands and groaned at how hot her cheeks were,

She had a crush on Sasuke Uchiha, she couldn't deny it**.** She sighed as she walked back in her room; she liked him way more than she'd like to admit**.** After spending the whole day with him she felt a little lonely since they were now apart**.** She put one of her piano CD's into her stereo trying to relax as she went through her dresser for pajamas**.** She slipped on her mother old white college shirt and some red shorts**.** She laid back on her bed covering her eyes with her arm across her face**.** She hadn't felt this way about a guy in a long time**.** She turned sideways on her bed; she actually hadn't felt this way about a guy at all**.** Sasuke was so different than any other boy she had ever met and that was causing her feelings for Sasuke to be stronger than she had ever had in the past**.** Sakura groaned again and shoved her face into her pillow**.**

**_the next morning_**

Sakura slightly opened her eyes as a ray of sunshine poured through her window onto her face**.** She didn't get much sleep last night; she couldn't stop thinking about Sasuke**.** She slammed her eyes shut and furrowed her eyebrows of the thought of Sasuke; he just wouldn't leave her mind**.** She sighed and rolled over onto her back and stared at her clock, 7:58 am**.** It was too early for her taste but she knew she couldn't back to sleep anyways**.** She slowly sat up and stretched all of her tense muscles**.** She stood up and opened her window letting the breeze flow through her long hair**.** She took in a slow deep breath and she gazed out at the scenery in front of her**.** _It's beautiful… _She looked out towards the park where she went when she first moved here**.** Sasuke immediately appeared in her mind**.** She shut her eyes tight, that was where she had first met him**.** She rubbed her temples trying to find anything else to think about**.** She looked around her room and back out the window**.** She decided to go for a run; she always went running when she had too much on her mind**.** She put on her green short-shorts and a white tank top over her pale pink sports bra**.** She went into the bathroom and pulled her hair into a tight ponytail**.** She quickly washed her face since there was no need to shower before running, slipped on her white tennis shoes, and went down stairs**.**

She smelled breakfast as she jogged down the stairs**.** **"**You're up early**."** Sakura smiled back at her father, **"**Yeah, too much energy**."** Mr**.** Haruno smiled unaware of her lie, **"**Want some breakfast?**"** Sakura nodded and walked over to the counter, **"**Just a little, I'm going to go run**."** Mr**.** Haruno blinked a few times, **"**Is something wrong?**"** Sakura gave a fake smile, her father knew her too well, **"**No, I just want to get a good view of the town**."** Mr**.** Haruno paused a moment and smiled believing her, **"**Alright, stay safe**."** Sakura had some toast and orange juice before running out the door**.** She ran wherever the sidewalks lead under the just risen sun**.** Running always kept her mind distracted from her life, the adrenaline she got from pushing her limits always made her feel more awake**.** After running for about ten minutes Sakura went into an all out sprint letting her heart pound in her chest**.** This is just what she needed; the burning in her muscles was just like burning the confusion out of her head**.** Sakura breathed hard as she sped another mile away from her house**.**

After about five more minutes of sprinting Sakura stopped and leaned against a brick wall aligned with the sidewalk**.** She breathed hard as she wiped her forehead; she looked around trying to figure out where she ran to**.** She glanced at the street signs; she really had no idea where she was**.** She sighed and looked up at the sky; she didn't bring her phone either**.** She was always got so careless when she was in the middle of a run**.** Sakura bit her lip and decided to jog somewhere until she found someone to ask for directions or to borrow their phone**.** She jogged farther down the street as the worry of being lost slowly crept into her mind**.** She looked back and forth as she ran down the street but only saw empty sidewalks**.** Sakura nearly screamed as she heard a car honk behind her**.** She frantically stopped and whipped her head around to see who it was**.** A fancy black car pulled up next to her and the passenger door opened**.** Sakura blinked as Mikoto stepped out of the car and smiled at her, **"**Sakura, I thought that was you**.** How are you?**"** Relief washed over Sakura's mind at the sight of Mikoto's calm smile**.** Sakura gave a small smile back, **"**I'm actually kind of lost**."** Sakura gave a nervous laugh trying to not feel ashamed**.** **"**Hop in**."** Sakura gave a bright smile and quickly stepped over to the car and got in at the same time as Mikoto**.**

Sakura buckled her seat belt, **"**Thank you so much**."** Mikoto looked back from the front seat, **"**It's quite alright, I've been hoping see you again**."** Sakura gave a confused glance, **"**How come?**"** Mikoto gave a cheery smile, **"**Well you're the only female friend of Sasuke's I've ever met, so I feel lucky to have met you**."** Sakura blushed lightly, after that entire run Sasuke was still back on her mind again**.** **"**I hope you don't mind but I would love to spend the day with you, it's so rare for Sasuke to get along with girls**."** Sakura blushed harder and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, **"**I-I'd like to but I just went on a long run and would need to take a shower**."** Mikoto gave a soft expression, **"**Well how about we go to the spa, my treat**.** I really want to get to know you better**."** Sakura paused for a moment and nodded unaware of Mikoto's hidden intentions, **"**I guess that would be nice**."** Mikoto gave a delighted smile and instructed her driver to head towards the spa**.**

As they drove towards the spa Mikoto was developing plans in her head**.** It's was fascinating for Sasuke to even have a normal conversation with a girl, let alone get along with one**.** She also noticed Sakura's behavior towards him during the dinner last night**.** Sakura didn't act like a fan girl but she gave off signs of being interested in Sasuke as well**.** Mikoto spent the whole morning daydreaming about Sasuke and Sakura being together so she could have a **"**daughter**."** Fugaku also seemed to approve of Sakura so far which was a good sign**.** It was one of Mikoto's lifetime goals to see her sons get married and give her grandchildren**.** Itachi was the only one to ever date but he never got too serious**.** Mikoto smiled at herself, Sasuke had never dated at all and she was going to change that**.**

"We're here**."** Mikoto smiled at Sakura as her driver stepped out of the car and opened the door for Sakura and Mikoto**.** Sakura stared at the spa building as she stepped out, saying it was huge was an understatement**.** _I guess rich people really do have it nice. _Mikoto gave a warm smile and lead Sakura in**.** Sakura slowly inhaled all of the scents of the flowers and candles; it calmed her mind from all of the stress over Sasuke that morning**.** Mikoto turned towards Sakura, **"**I rented out a private spring bath**."** Sakura smiled and followed**.** She gladly slipped off her workout clothes and grabbed a blue bath kimono**.** She released her long rosette hair from its ponytail and grabbed a white towel**.** She slid open a door and saw Mikoto already in the hot spring**.** Sakura gave a relaxed smile; she hadn't been in a hot spring in almost two years**.** Sakura got in and gave a deep sigh, it felt amazing**.**

"I'm glad you could spend the day with me**."** Sakura looked at Mikoto's warm smile, **"**No thank you for helping me and paying for this, it means a lot**."** Mikoto gave her a clam glance**.** _She's kind and well-mannered. _**"**So how did you meet Sasuke?**"** Sakura gave an awkward smile recalling the event, **"**Well…I went to the park the day I moved in and was having some trouble**.** Luckily Sasuke-kun and Naruto were there to help**."** Mikoto blinked, **"**What kind of trouble? Sasuke isn't really one to get involved in other people's affairs**."** Sakura stared at her reflection in the water trying to find a way around the question**.** She gave a nervous glance up at Mikoto she felt like she talking to her mother**.** Sakura gave a sad smile, if she ever wanted a mother to daughter talk this would be her only chance**.** She looked back up with a yearning smile, **"**You could say a guy was bothering me but Sasuke-kun and Naruto saved me**."** Mikoto looked Sakura in the eyes, **"**I'm glad he did**."** Sakura blushed lightly and gave a happy smile, **"**So…what is Sasuke-kun like at home? I don't mean to pry,…but he just seems so…guarded**."** Mikoto gave a small laugh, **"**He's been like that for quite a while**.** I don't get to be around him as much as I'd like but he does live under a lot of expectations**."** Sakura's expression saddened slightly, **"**Are you not home much?**"** Mikoto gave a calm sigh, **"**No unfortunately, there's a lot of business me and my husband have to attend to so we don't get to be home much**.** That's why I would like you to take care of him while I'm gone**."** Sakura blushed heavily, **"**What do you mean?**"** Mikoto gave a beautiful smile, **"**Watch out for him while we're gone and keep him company**.** He likes you more than you'd think**."** Sakura's face started to flame and it wasn't because of the hot spring, **"**O-okay**."**

**_at the Uchiha residence_**

Sasuke sighed chewing on his breakfast, it was 9:43 on a Sunday and he had no plans**.** His father was at a meeting, Itachi went hang out with some friends, and he had no idea where his mother went**.** Sasuke looked around his kitchen; _I guess I could study… _Sasuke frowned at the thought and glanced out the window, the weather seemed nice**.** _Maybe I'll go for a walk. _Sasuke quickly finished his breakfast and drove down to the park**.** He locked his car and starting walking down the sidewalk**.** It was very sunny out with a nice breeze, he liked days like this**.** He observed his surroundings as he walked while ignoring a few cooing girls**.** He gave a relaxed sigh as he walked under the part of the park covered in cherry blossom trees**.** Sakura popped in his mind recalling this is where they first met**.** He wasn't fond of the event that caused them to meet but was glad they did**.** He slowly sat on the same bench Sakura did her first day in Kohonagakure**.** Sakura was different from other girls, she didn't care about his money or famous name and it was a relief to meet someone like that**.** The only person that really treated him normally besides Sakura was Naruto**.** He was still irritated by how confusing she was but her presence was a relief from all the things he had to live up to and all unwanted special treatment he got**.** Sasuke gave a faint smile and pulled out his phone, he found his phone and dialed Sakura's number**.** He waited silently as the phone continued to ring**.** **"**Hello?**"** Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the male voice, **"**Who is this?**"** Sasuke's voice had a slight cold tone to it**.** **"**Sasuke is that you? It's Sakura's father, Sakura left her phone at home, have you seen her?**"** Sasuke mind filled with worry at the obvious desperation in Mr**.** Haruno's voice, **"**No, why?**"** **"**She left to go run over two hours ago and hasn't come back**.** She never goes running this long and Hinata hasn't seen her either**."** Sasuke immediately stood up and started running back to his car as anxiety started to fill his mind, **"**I'll find her**."** Sasuke quickly closed his phone and started his car up**.** He sped out of the parking lot and started searching through the streets**.**

**_at the spa_**

Sakura took a relaxed sigh as she slipped on one of the spa resort's kimonos**.** She put up her wet hair in a bun with some chopsticks as Mikoto did the same**.** She turned around as Mikoto gave a calm smile and led her towards another room**.** Mikoto slid open a door and walked in with Sakura**.** Inside was one of the spa's salon rooms which Mikoto rented out for a few hours, **"**I thought we could get all freshened up and go to the mall together**."** Sakura smiled back at Mikoto's graceful smile and nodded; it really felt like she was getting to spend the day with her mother**.** Sakura relaxed as a few stylists walked in and started drying and working with her hair**.** Sakura closed her eyes and took some steady breaths**.** _This is nice, it feels good to relax. _Mikoto glanced at Sakura's calm face; she smiled at the relaxation shown on Sakura's face**.** Mikoto was truly enjoying herself; she was getting to spend her day with her **"**daughter**"** and was learning more and more about Sakura's interest towards Sasuke**.** She made a note to herself, Sakura won't necessarily be the hardest one to push, Sasuke will be the difficult one**.** Mikoto smiled at herself, she was sure she could get Sakura to easily change him**.**

Once Sakura's and Mikoto's hair was done the stylist finished off with their nails**.** Mikoto put her navy mid-length dress and white work blazer back on**.** Sakura picked up her running clothes; she gave a small frown at the idea of putting sweaty clothes back on**.** A young woman knocked on the door and entered, **"**I have the clothes you ordered Mrs**.** Uchiha**."** Mikoto gave a kind smile and took the box, **"**Thank you**."** She turned towards Sakura, **"**I ordered you some clean clothes if you don't mind**."**Sakura gave a blank stare for a moment and then smiled, **"**Thank you so much, I'll pay you back soon,**"** Mikoto tsked her finger as she handed the box to Sakura, **"**This is my treat no repayment necessary**."** Sakura looked at her in awe for a moment and gave a happy nod**.** Sakura opened the box revealing an entire set of clean clothes to put on**.** She felt the fancy silk and turned towards Mikoto, **"**I can't accept something so nice without giving you something in return**."** Mikoto gave a warm smile, **"**But you have, I get to have a daughter for the day**."** Sakura's eyes widened at the comment**.** Sakura's heart clenched as a few tears gathered in her eyes, she got a have a mother for the day too**.** Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes, **"**I'm sorry…It's just that…I get to have a mom for the day too**."** Mikoto understood what Sakura meant from her teary smile**.**

Sakura quickly started changing into the clothes given to her trying to push the thought aside**.** Mikoto turned away giving her some privacy**.** Sakura cocked and eyebrow and the extra clothing in the box, she couldn't help but wonder at what Mikoto was trying to get at by giving her such…fancy black undergarments**.** She ignored the topic and slipped her clothes on**.** It was a silk black fitted shirt that slipped a little off the shoulder and a white ribbon right under her chest tying into a bow**.** The sleeves cut off at her elbow with a white edge and the shirt cut off a few inched below her hips**.** She had a black bracelet to go with her white and black necklace**.** Her skirt was white that went right below the knee and were complimented by the black heels**.** Sakura swayed from side to side blushing a little at how fancy the clothes seemed**.** Mikoto turned and smiled at her, **"**You look beautiful**."** After the comment they left the spa and headed towards the mall**.**

**_out in town_**

Sasuke swerved his car around the corner as he sped down another street; he'd been searching for about twenty minutes now**.** Sasuke grinded his teeth and clenched his fists on the steering wheel**.** He'd made several phone calls to the rest of his friends and told the police station to keep and eye out for a pink haired girl since he couldn't claim her missing yet**.** Sasuke pressed harder on the gas at the idea**.** He couldn't help but stop thinking about some guy trying to harass her again and Sakura not being able to protect herself this time**.** His blood was boiling as he swerved around another street**.** He slammed his foot on the break as he noticed the red light in front of him**.** He breathed hard as the car skidded to a stop; he slowly put his forehead down on the steering wheel for a moment**.** He could've killed himself from driving so recklessly**.** _Why am I freaking out so much? _He knew that'd he risk his life for his friends but she'd only been his friend for a few days and he was going insane with worry**.** He lifted his back up and stared at the red light**.** _What's wrong with me?_

**_at the mall_**

Mikoto sat down with Sakura at a tea parlor waiting for their drinks, **"**I used to take Sasuke here a lot when he was younger**."** Sakura looked up at her trying to imagine a young Sasuke, **"**Really?**"** Mikoto nodded smiling in thought, **"**I guess you could call it our mother and son day**.** He used to always order their veggie sandwiches and then just eat the tomatoes out of it**."** Sakura giggled a little, **"**I noticed his bento's at lunch always have a lot of tomatoes**."** Mikoto gave a small laugh, **"**Tomatoes are his favorite food that's why he always likes going to Italian restaurants and ordering extra marina sauce on his meals**."** Sakura laughed trying to imagine someone emotionless as Sasuke having such an extreme tomato fetish, **"**That's so cute!**"** Sakura blushed realizing she just called Sasuke cute to his mother**.** Mikoto's smile became slightly mischievous, **"**Yes it is, you should take him to some Italian place or have dinner at your place again and see yourself**."** Sakura blushed and looked away, _What is she trying to say?_

**_in town_**

Sasuke sped and parked into a parking place, he couldn't think of anywhere else to look**.** He ran through the mall doors and started running down aisles observing for a pink head as hard as he could**.** He asked around if anyone saw her but everyone said they weren't paying much attention**.** Sasuke continued to run through the halls not caring if he accidently hit somebody as he headed to the food court**.**

**_a few minutes before_**

Mikoto smiled as she watched Sakura sip her tea, everything was going well**.** Mikoto told Sakura that she would call her father but then the idea of seeing Sasuke's reaction came to mind**.** She knew Sasuke well enough to realize he would try to call Sakura after last night**.** Mikoto knew she was more devilish than she came off to be**.** She didn't want to worry Mr**.** Haruno but she was extremely persistent about getting Sasuke and Sakura together**.** To do that she needed to push Sasuke into realizing his true feelings, even if that meant making him think Sakura was in danger**.** Mikoto gave a quick smile after hearing a murmur about some dark-haired teen running around recklessly, **"**If you don't mind I'm going to go to the restroom real quick**."** Sakura looked as Mikoto got out of her chair and nodded, **"**Okay**."** Sakura watched as Mikoto walked around a corner and then stared back at her tea**.** She was having a good time, nobody could ever replace her mother but it was nice to spend the day with a mother figure**.** Sakura gave a sad smile, it was a little lonely because of how she kept wishing it really was her mother but she couldn't let that ruin her day**.** Sakura rested her forehead against her hand**.** _I wonder how Mom would of acted if we were together right now._

"SAKURA!**"** Sakura quickly lifted up her head and turned around**.** Her eyes widened as she saw Sasuke running through the crowd towards her**.** **"**Sasuke-kun?**"** Sakura stood up concerned at Sasuke's desperate expression**.** Sakura took a step towards him as he ran into the tea parlor**.** She nearly gasped as he quickly pulled her into his arms**.** He had grabbed her so desperately it was kind of rough**.** Sakura immediately blushed with her eyes wide in his strong embrace**.** Her nerves ran wild as she felt him breathing hard into her neck, **"**S-Sasuke-kun?**"** Her face flamed as he held her tighter**.** **"**Where the hell have you been?**"** Sakura felt her body heat up, **"**W-what do you mean?**"** Sasuke released her part way and looked into her eyes, **"**I was worried Idiot!**"**

Mikoto smiled from around the corner as she saw Sakura's mouth part but too shocked to speak and Sasuke look desperately in her eyes**.** _Everything's going according to plan._

**_authors notes_**

So I liked parts of the chapter but I wasn't too happy with all of it, but I know I haven't updated in forever and need to work on my other story so here it is! Please give your thoughts and vote on the Ino pairing poll**.**


	6. Unwanted Past

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno:**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba:**

**InoSai: 1**

**:) ShikaTema: 1**

**Ch. 6 Unwanted Past**

Sakura stared eyes wide into Sasuke's angry and desperate face. She parted her lips to say something but the only thing running through her mind was the pounding of her heart, "W-worried?" Sakura's face became hotter as she saw people in the tea parlor staring from the corners of her eyes. Sasuke stared at her confused expression, "You've been missing for hours!" Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and her nerves died down, "Sasuke-kun…I've been with your mother since this morning. What do you mean missing?" Sasuke took a breath and let his hands fall to his sides from the grasp on her arms, "What?" There was a tense silence as they stared at each other's confused expressions. They both turned as a calm voice called their names. Sasuke watched his mother in astonishment as she placed her hands on the back of Sakura's shoulders and smiled at him, "I'm sorry Sasuke; I borrowed your friend for the day if that's alright." Sasuke blinked at his mother's joyful face, he looked back and forth at Sakura's and his mother's faces unsure of what to say. Sakura looked at Sasuke's perplexed face and turned her face towards Mikoto, "You called my father didn't you?" Sasuke's gaze shot to his mother's face waiting for her response. Mikoto gave a fake embarrassed laugh, "Oh my, I was so happy to see you I must have forgotten." Sakura's eyes widened in horror, her father was going to kill her. She rubbed the back of her neck with her hand in nervousness. She took a few shaky breaths and immediately looked at Sasuke, "Can I see your phone? Please, I need to call my father." Sasuke's confusion started to dissolve as he listened to her desperate voice. Before he could reach for her phone his mother flipped her's open, "I'll explain to your father so you don't get in trouble. It's the least I can do since this is my fault." Sakura took a slow breath and gave a hesitant nod. Mikoto smiled as she dialed the number, "Why don't you two sit down while I take care of this." Before Sasuke could respond, his mother walked off to a quieter spot in the tea parlor.

Sakura watched as Sasuke quickly sat down in a chair and began rubbing his temples. Her face saddened and she clenched her hands together, "Sasuke-kun…" Sasuke glanced up at her, his expression tightened at her apologetic face. "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble." He watched her for another moment and sighed, "Don't apologize it wasn't your fault." "Sor-" Sakura cut herself off and gave an apologetic laugh. Sasuke watched her as she slowly sat in the seat across from him; the way her hair swayed, her eyes swirl with emotions, and the way she pursed her lips. He wasn't sure why but everything she did seemed to spark his interest. He wanted to know why he was looking for her so drastically moments ago when she was just some girl he had met a few days ago. Sakura looked up and blushed at Sasuke's constant stare on her, she fiddled with the edge of her shirt as the memory of Sasuke desperately holding her crossed her mind. She broke eye contact with him as her cheeks flared even more. She couldn't believe he actually held her so tightly; heck she couldn't believe he was actually worried about her. That thought bugged her but it made her happy. She looked up at him for a moment and gave one of her precious smiles, "Sasuke-kun, thank you for being worried." Sasuke eyes widened a little in shock, he couldn't drag his eyes away from her smile. There was a silent pause as he stared at her and was finally able to come back to his senses, "It was nothing." His mutter was emotionless as he looked away but there was some unfamiliar feeling that was nagging at him in the back of his mind. Whatever the feeling was made it hard to look at Sakura straight in the eye when she smiled like that.

Mikoto watched them from the corner of her eye the whole time she talked to Sakura's father. It was an understatement to say she was pleased; she could see progress being made between the two of them. She gave a bright smile as she finished her conversation with Mr. Haruno and hung up the phone, she had a few ideas how to force them to make even more progress. She walked over slowly with hidden excitement at Sasuke's embarrassed face. It was hard to see his embarrassment with how emotionless he was but Mikoto could tell by the way he was avoiding Sakura's beautiful smile. They both looked at Mikoto as she placed one of her pale hands on their table, "Sakura, I took care of everything but I'd be best if you went home. I have some things to attend to so Sasuke will take you home." Sakura blinked and then shot her gaze at Sasuke and back to Mikoto, "W-wait, is that okay? I don't want to cause him more trouble." Both the women looked at Sasuke as he stood up from his seat and glanced at Sakura, "Let's go." She stared at him in shock but quickly got up as he started walking away, "Sasuke-kun, wait up!" Mikoto gave a light smirk, _He didn't even complain_

Sakura finally caught up to Sasuke and walked with him through the crowd of the mall. They walked for a few minutes as Sasuke lead the way since Sakura had no idea where his car was. Sasuke glanced at her and noticed the nice clothing she was wearing. His eyes were tugged towards where her black shirt slipped a little off the shoulder and a white ribbon held the fabric close to her body. The white skirt was a little below the knee but the black heels gladly showed off her toned legs. Sakura tilted her head towards Sasuke and blushed noticing that he was staring at her. She blushed harder still waiting for him to look away, "What are you staring at!" Sasuke blinked coming back to reality. He took a moment to think about what he was just doing and looked forward again, "I thought you went on a run this morning." Sakura blinked in confusion and then realized her father must have told him, "Yeah, I got lost after a while and your mother drove by as I was trying to find directions back to my house." Sasuke nodded as they walked out the door to the parking lot, "You look nice." Sakura nearly tripped after he said that but was quickly caught in Sasuke's arms. Sakura's face flamed. _**"**__You look nice__**." **_It was just like dinner last night. She quickly straightened up and let Sasuke let go of her, "S-sorry" Sasuke laid his arms down and watched as Sakura started walking off in nervousness, "Sakura, the car's this way." Sakura whirled around and gave a nervous laugh as she followed after him. She made sure to walk somewhat behind so he wouldn't see her blushing face. She stared down at the ground as she followed him; that was the second time he complimented her. Sakura bit her lip as an edgy feeling swirled around her mind.

She jumped back to reality as heard Sasuke's car beep from being unlocked. She glanced up nervously seeing him holding the door open for her. She gulped, _Why is he being so nice? _Sasuke stared at her waiting for her to get in, "Are you going to get in?" Sakura gave a fake laugh at his blank face and slipped in the car. She lightly smacked the sides of her cheeks once he shut the door and started walking around the car. _Sakura calm down, there's nothing wrong with him being nice! _That was true but it was Sasuke, she'd only known him a few days but she'd never seen him act so nice to anybody. She glanced over as he opened the other door and sat in the driver's seat. She quickly buckled her seat belt as he started the engine. She couldn't help but stare at him in pure curiosity, he wasn't acting too weird. He still had that stoic emotionless face but then it couldn't help but make her think of the desperate expression he wore when he found her not too long ago. Her mind would not stop drifting to why he was so worried. She was glad he got worried because that meant he considered her a friend in some way but the look in his eyes was _too _worried. He looked too worried to be looking for someone he just met a few days ago. Sakura finally glanced away and out the window at they pulled up to a stoplight. _Is it possible that he might actually care about me in someway? _A light blush crept upon her cheeks but she shook her head with a sad smile. That couldn't be possible. _"He likes you more than you'd think." _

Sakura blinked remembering Mikoto's words. She glanced back at Sasuke as they pulled into her driveway, "Sasuke-kun…" He glanced over at her and his hand around the steering wheel twitched slightly. He stared at Sakura's beautiful expression; her jade eyes were swirling with curiosity, there was a tint of pink in her cheeks, her luscious lips were slightly parted. His hand twitched again as that nagging feeling in the back of mind started to drift to the surface again causing him to look down from her face. Sakura gulped and took a silent deep breath, "Would you to come over and work on that project tomorrow after school?" Sakura could feel her cheeks getting hotter, she really just wanted to spend the day with him but she wouldn't dare say it. Sasuke inhaled slowly and looked back up into her jade eyes with the calmest expression he could. Sakura smiled as he nodded, she quickly opened the door to the car and stepped out, "I'll see you tomorrow." Sasuke nodded again unable to look her straight in the eye. Sakura's smile became brighter as she felt a giddy sensation run through her veins, "Okay, see you tomorrow." Sasuke gave a small glance and said goodbye before she shut the car door. His eyes followed her as she ran up to the door and waved before she walked in the house. He sat there for a moment and then put the car in reverse and started to drive away, that unfamiliar nagging feeling in his mind still wouldn't go away. _What's wrong with me?_

**_Hyugga Residence_**

Hinata tapped her pencil against her desk is was 11:32am and she hadn't heard anything about Sakura since Mr. Haruno called about forty minutes ago in desperation to find her. She was suppose to be doing some going through paperwork of her father's business as training for the next head of the company but she was too distracted. Her heart lurched as she heard her phone go off. She quickly picked up the lavender gadget and flipped it open. She sighed in relief; it was a text from Sakura. _"Hey, sorry about the scare. The person I was with didn't call my father like promised. But I'm home and escaped being grounded!" _Hinata smiled as she texted back, she was so glad Sakura was safe. When her father called she immediately tried to leave and search for her but her supervisor for business training refused her until she was finished with stack of paperwork. Hinata looked at the stack of paper and fought the urge to groan. Her expression saddened as she sent the text and continued reading through paperwork. So many people told her she was so lucky to be the next head of the company and get to have so much power but to her it was like prison. Her destiny was already set and she had no choice but to follow it. That's one of the things she loved about Naruto so much, he never told her he wished he could be in her place like some people. He enjoyed his freedom with no regret and was happy to be in control of his destiny. I small smile graced upon her lips, she thought of him more highly than anybody else. She gave a soft giggle recalling he was her project partner. She nearly fainted the way he held her and bounced up and down about knowing they'd get a good grade. She gave a content sigh, maybe life wasn't so bad after all.

**_Haruno residence_**

Sakura plopped down on her bed and sighed, she was exhausted and it wasn't even noon. She rolled onto her side, she was surprised she didn't get yelled at for being reckless the second she walked in the door. Instead her father just held her for a moment and kept repeating that he was glad she was alright. Her eyes dulled, she hated making him worry. She was the only family member he had left; it would kill him if she was gone. Her family was very small and lived very far away so they were all each other had. She bit her lip as she stared at her mother's picture on the dresser. She picked it up and rubbed her thumb over her mother's face. Everything really became harder after she died. Sakura's face saddened as she set the picture back down, she couldn't believe it had been nearly ten years since she died. Sakura's hand twitched remembering her mother's death anniversary was next week. She clenched her jaw; she was actually able to visit her grave since it was just the next town over. Sakura rubbed her neck; she hadn't been to her mother's grave in four years. Sakura took a few relaxing breaths and cast the thought aside; there was no point in thinking about the past. She stood up and smoothed the wrinkles out of her skirt and grabbed a medical book she had been reading. She sat in the chair of her desk and began reading where she left off.

Sakura spent the rest of the day at home so her father would calm down; she spent most of the time reading and doing school work. Their dinner was more silent than normal but Sakura knew it was okay by the content expression her father displayed. She managed to get a ride from Ino to school tomorrow as she tossed the clothes Mikoto bought her in the laundry. She rubbed the back of her neck as she changed into black short-shorts and an oversized grey t-shirt. Unlike a lot of girls at school Sakura didn't care about looks 24-7 and couldn't care less what she wore to bed as long as it was comfortable. She placed a piano CD in her stereo, set the volume to low, and curled up in her bed. She rolled on her side and stared out the window at the stars. She gave a small smile at its beauty; the darkness around the stars immediately flipped her mind to Sasuke. Her cheeks quickly flared as she covered her face with her hands. She couldn't believe she asked him to come over; she wanted him over for her own selfish reasons, not the project. She sighed as she let her hands uncover her face and gave a calm smile. She didn't ask for what she really wanted, but she was glad she was going to spend time with him after school tomorrow.

**_Uchiha residence_**

Sasuke stood out on his balcony resting his arms on the ledge. He stared intently at the stars thinking over his day. After he dropped Sakura off he sent a few texts saying she was okay and went home. He questioned his mother repeatedly when she got home but didn't get an answer. His mother never made mistakes, so why didn't she call Sakura's father? Sasuke stared at the stars contemplating the day's events. He was still confused out of his mind to why he was so worried about Sakura and kept feeling odd when she smiled. He hated it, he hated feeling confused, confusion was such a weak feeling. He furrowed his eyebrows in agitation to why Sakura would not leave his head. He grumbled as he walked back in his room and shut the balcony doors; if his brother how much that girl was in his head he would never hear the end of it. He threw his shirt off into the hamper and changed into some black sweatpants. He stood next to his bed for a moment remembering he was going to be spending the day after school with Sakura tomorrow. He sighed, maybe he'd stop feeling confused if he spent some time with her. With that thought got into bed awaiting the next day.

**_Haruno residence_**

Sakura hopped out of bed as her alarm went off. She turned it off and stared humming as she headed to the shower. She rinsed her long rosette hair happily thinking of the day to come. When she was done she blow-dried her hair with a little bit of product to make it wavy. She giggled as she tied her red ribbon around her head like a headband. Her nerves were still running wild to how she made herself ask Sasuke over but she was very excited. She placed some natural pink lip gloss on her lips and slid on her uniform. She hummed hoping down the staircase with her briefcase. Her father turned around from in the kitchen, "You're in a good mood." Sakura smiled back at him, "I guess and Dad is it okay if I have a friend come over to work on a project after school?" Mr. Haruno gave a small laugh, "Of course, but I might be home late since it's my first day back at work." Sakura nodded while picking up an apple, "That's fine I can make dinner." He smiled and nodded; he took a moment staring at the way his daughter made her hair wavy, "You look just like your mother with your hair like that." Sakura blushed and gave a mournful smile, "Really?" He gave a nod, "You may have my eyes but you got everything else from your mother." Sakura felt a calm happiness with a touch of sadness sweep over, she always thought her mother was beautiful. Sakura snapped back to reality as she heard a car honk in front of the house. She gave a small wave and headed towards the door, "Bye Dad!" He smiled and gave a small wave, "Bye Honey."

Sakura raced out the door and climbed into Ino's purple convertible. Once Sakura buckled her seatbelt Ino put the car in reverse and drove towards the school, "Well don't you look pretty." Sakura gave a small giggle, "I just felt like doing something different." Ino glanced at her from the corner of her eye, "You sure you're not trying to impress anybody?" Sakura blushed a little, "No, there's nobody to impress." Ino giggled, "Sure, tell that to your blushing face." Sakura raised her hands to her cheeks and blushed harder, "I-it's just hot!" Ino laughed as she drove down the road, "If you say so." As nosy as Ino might she wasn't going to ask who it was, at least not yet. Sakura put her hands down from her face and smiled out the window. She wanted to impress Sasuke but she didn't want to be someone she wasn't. She only made her hair wavy and put lip-gloss on out of excitement. Even if she looked a little different she wasn't different. She gave a content sigh, today was gonna be good day.

**_School_**

Once they parked in the school parking lot Sakura hopped out with briefcase in hand. Ino locked the car as they headed towards the school doors, "Hinata!" Hinata turned around at Ino's yell and gave a cheerful smile. She walked back a little towards them and grabbed Sakura's free hand with hers, "I'm glad you're alright. I was so worried yesterday." Sakura gave a small laugh, "Sorry I caused trouble." Ino patted her on the back, "Yeah Forehead, you had us pretty worried." Sakura blinked at the nickname, "Forehead?" Ino laughed, "Just a little nickname that popped in my head." Sakura cocked and eyebrow and smiled, "Okay Ino-pig." The girls laughed and walked into the school. Sakura couldn't believe how happy she was, she had made such close friends in such little time. All the built up worry and stress of moving was completely gone. It's as if she had found her place to be and she didn't need to worry because she was going to stay till college.

All three girls were giggling as they walked through the classroom doors. All their giggling caused Sasuke and everybody else in the room to glance in their direction. Sasuke's eyes opened a little wider as he saw Sakura walk to her seat with a gorgeous smile and her long hair flowing behind her. His eyes traced the waves in her hair as she turned to sit in her seat next to him. Sakura turned towards Sasuke and gave her best smile, "Good morning Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke stared silently at her for a moment and quickly directed his gaze to the front of the room and muttered, "Morning." Sakura's smile dimmed a little, why wouldn't he look at her? Did she look bad? _"You look nice." _Sakura blushed a little and faced the front of the room; maybe she just wanted to hear that again. She rested her cheek on her palm and stared out the window; she wondered if he would ever say that again. Even though she thought it was silly, she felt overwhelmingly happy when he said it once she got past her nerves. A small smile graced her lips; she had all day with him, maybe she'd hear it after school. Sakura had decided to try and get past all her awkward nerves and just let him fill her mind. Sure, it became annoying that she always thought of him but there was no point in trying to deny she liked him. Her head quickly turned to the front as she heard students start to gasp and sit in their seats. Kakashi-sensei actually walked into the classroom before the bell rang.

Naruto bolted up from his chair and pointed at Kakashi, "You're early! T-that's gotta mean something? I'm not in trouble am I?" Kakashi sighed as he stared at the hyperactive blonde, "No but if you keep yelling like that you will be." Naruto gulped and sat back down in his chair as the bell rang. Silence remained across the room waiting for Kakashi to do something, he was **never **on time, let alone early. Kakashi leaned against the white board, "As surprising as it may seem we have another new student today." The classroom burst into conversation, it had only be a few days since Sakura got here. Kakashi clapped his hands to get their attention again, "Quiet down, I expect the same respect to him as you gave Sakura. Enter!" Sakura blinked, _him? _The classroom door slowly opened and a teen boy started walking through. Sakura's mouth fell and her eyes went wide. Sasuke saw her start to tremble from the corner of his eye, he directed his harsh gaze at the pale boy in the front of the room. Whoever it was made Sakura give a bad reaction causing him to think he had once been one of her perverse attackers. The dark-haired boy bowed and directed his gaze at Sakura's horrified face, "I'm Sai, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Before Kakashi could direct Sai where to sit he started to walk towards Sakura's desk with a plastic smile on his face. Her lips moved to say something as he stood next to her desk but nothing came out. Sai gave a small laugh, "Did you miss me?" Sakura finally regained her composure as anger swirled through her eyes and she abruptly stood and swung her hand as hard as she could. Sai caught her wrist inched from his face and stared at her jade orbs with his dark ones, "Don't I get a kiss?" Sakura snarled and pulled her wrist out of his hand, "What the hell are you doing here?" Sai's smile remained unaltered, "I realized how much I missed you and came after you." Sakura eyes darkened with hate, "Don't give me that crap!" Sai grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer to where she couldn't break free, "It seems you dolled up for my arrival too." Before Sakura could say something she saw Sasuke stand up from behind Sai and place a firm grip on his shoulder, "Let go of her." Sai kept his fake smile, "Oh, I don't think this involves you Bishonen-kun." (Means pretty boy) Sasuke tightened his grip on Sai's shoulder causing him to loosen his grip and Sakura to push his hands off her. There was a tense silence in the room as everyone watched the developing argument in suspense. Kakashi cleared his throat and directed his gaze at the pinkette and two dark-haired boys, "So much for respect. Sai you will go sit in the back of the room next to the windows. Now all three of you sit down or I will send you to the office."

There was a momentary pause before they finally separated. Sasuke kept an eye on Sai from the corner of his eye and felt overwhelming rage every time he glanced at Sakura. He grinded his teeth together and stared back at the board for notes. It was happening again, he was getting worked up over Sakura again! He glanced over at her and analyzed her face. Her face still displayed open hatred and she was writing notes down with unneeded intensity on her pencil. It snapped, her eyebrows narrowed more as she picked up another pencil and continued writing. Sasuke was going to find out what went on between those two if it was the last thing he did; he had the perfect opportunity after school to do it too. _What am I thinking? _He rubbed his forehead with his palm; he couldn't get himself to calm down. Why was he freaking out over anything Sakura got involved in? Why did he feel a possessive protectiveness over her? He shut his jaw tight, he was going to go insane if he didn't find out soon.

**(I have no personal grudge against Sai and he will not be the main antagonist of the story. I was just using him as a way to build up Sasuke's **_**unfamiliar **_**emotions.)**

**_a few hours later_**

Sakura tapped her pencil dying for the final bell to ring. She wanted to get out of this school and away from **him. **Her mind had been boiling over in hatred all day because he showed up. He even tried bugging her at lunch until Sasuke and Naruto glared him down. She couldn't even express the irritation over all the questions she got about Sai during lunch. They eventually gave up because she wouldn't respond and only showed her despise on her face. She grinded her teeth together and gave an internal groan as she broke another pencil in frustration. She hated that bastard. They dated for almost two years in her previous town. When she announced she was moving he said she was useless to him far away and dumped her two months before she turned seventeen. She had never felt so pathetic, or angry. He asked her out on her fifteenth birthday and she gladly said yes. They had a relationship everyone envied. Their relationship appeared true and genuine to everyone around them, including her, but in the end she was just some trophy…A pathetic, useless trophy. Tears stung the corners of her murderous eyes, why did he have to come here? Everything was going perfect for the first time in her life and then he decided to pop back in her life. She stood as the bell rung through her ears. She placed everything in her briefcase as fast as she could but couldn't get away from her seat fast enough. "Sakura, don't run off so fast. We should catch up." She turned to yell at him but before she could Sasuke stood between them with hostility pouring out of his eyes at Sai. There was another silent pause and Sasuke turned towards Sakura and grabbed her hand and began walking towards the door, "We have a project to do." She stared at the back of his head as he pulled her towards his car, he practically protected her. A light blush rose as the anger lessened a bit. She glanced down at his hand still holding hers and felt her heartbeat go a little faster.

He let go once they finally got to his car and turned towards her, "Who is he?" She blinked in surprise and stared down at the road, did she want to tell Sasuke about Sai? She didn't think he would think of her any differently but she didn't want her past relationship to come to mind when they were together, "Nobody important." He fumed at her whisper causing another silent pause, "Just get in the car." By the time she looked up he had already opened the door to his said of the car. She quickly got into her side of the car before he sped off. She looked out the window since she couldn't get herself to look at his angry face. She didn't want him mad at her, this wasn't the way their time together was suppose to go. She clenched her hands together in her lap and stared intently at the folds in her skirt to avoid looking at Sasuke, "Are you mad at me?" Sasuke's expression softened a little at the question. He was so mad at getting worked up over her that he was practically taking it out on her. He sighed and rubbed his forehead as they sat at a stoplight, "No…It's just…I want to know why he can bother you so much. Did he do something to you?" Sakura paused as the relaxation of him not hating her sank in while she thought about telling him. Was it really so bad to tell him? She was going to have to tell him sooner or later. She glanced at his serious face and gave a small sigh.

"He was my last boyfriend."

**_authors notes_**

Sorry once again about the late update. Even though it's summer work has taken school's place of driving me crazy. But I'm glad to say the chapter was at least not too short and I finally added a character I had been meaning to for a while. I have no personal grudge against Sai and he will not be the main antagonist of the story. I was just using him as a way to build up Sasuke's _unfamiliar _emotions. Please vote on the Ino paring poll just so I can see who's opinions differ with mine that way I can limit showing a pairing is you viewers don't like what I like. Please review! It encourages me and hopefully another chapter of What If will be out in a week.


	7. Unfamiliar Feelings

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno:**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba:**

**InoSai: 1**

**:) ShikaTema: 1**

**Ch. 7 Unfamiliar Feelings**

"He was my last boyfriend."

There was tense pause in the car, "What'd he do?" Sakura glanced at Sasuke's serious face and back out the window, "We'd dated for a really long time but…when I said I was moving he told me I was useless to him away and dumped me. I was his trophy for almost two years and didn't even know…I thought he loved me." Sasuke clenched the steering wheel hard as he glanced at her stressed face. Anger was boiling in the pit of his stomach as the traffic light turned green. He grinded his teeth together and looked back at the road as he continued driving; he was torn between wanting to beat the hell out of Sai and wondering what to say to Sakura. He took a tense breath flickering his eyes back between Sakura's troubled face and the road. He never knew what to do in times like these; Naruto was always the one to cheer people up, not him. "You worry too much." Sakura finally looked away from the window and at Sasuke's face. Sasuke could see the hint of confusion on her face from the corner of his eye, "It's not like he can do anything with me and Dobe around." Sakura relaxed a little, she knew she could count on her new friends but was still concerned over what Sai was doing here. _"I realized how much I missed you and came after you." _Sakura's hand twitched a little. There was no way she going to believe that. She gave a fake smile at Sasuke, she was thankful for his protection but it couldn't stop her from worrying.

She grabbed her briefcase as they pulled into her driveway and Sasuke put the car into park. Sakura took a slow relaxing breath and they got out of the car and started walking towards her door. This was her only chance to spend time alone with Sasuke; she couldn't have Sai ruining everything. She gave a small smile as opened the door and gave Sasuke direction to the office, "I'll go upstairs and grab my books real quick." He nodded as he walked towards the office with his laptop and books. Sakura ran up the stairs and quickly closed her bedroom door behind her. She threw off her school uniform and slipped on a jade spring dress she owned. It was strapless with some ruffling on the chest and it had some small white and pink floral design on it. It was matched with a small jade gem necklace on a silver chain her father gave her for her sixteenth birthday and some white sandals. She pulled out the red ribbon in her hair and placed it on her dresser before taking one quick look in the mirror. She reapplied her lip gloss and grabbed her books before heading back down the stairs. "I think this is it." Sasuke looked up from the desk chair he was in and froze his stare at Sakura as she placed her books on the desk. She turned and smiled at him letting some of her wavy hair hang over her shoulder, "What should we work on first?" Sasuke blinked the way her hair hung so freely without the ribbon and the dress brightened her beautiful eyes. Sasuke's expression was in bewilderment but you would have to know him very well to see it through his emotionless attitude.

Sasuke's mind came back to reality as his laptop made noise from being turned on, "We…we should work on the paper." Sakura nodded and pulled up a chair next to him. They spent the next hour and a half picking key research points to mention in the paper but neither one of their minds was fully focused. Sakura continued to think about the time she was getting to spend with Sasuke, and Sasuke kept getting distracted by the glances he took at Sakura. His eyes kept being drawn to every wave in her hair and whether it hung gracefully over her shoulders or framed her beautiful face. He quickly glanced back at the laptop, it was happening again. Some unfamiliar, strange feeling kept swirling in the back of his mind. His lips curved downward a bit; whatever it was kept driving him crazy. Sakura snuck a glance at Sasuke and noticed the light scowl on his face, she frowned a bit. She looked around the room and saw the time; it was a little after 4:00pm. She hoped Sasuke was unhappy just because they had been working for so long.

She stood up from her chair causing Sasuke to glance at her, "Are you hungry?" Sasuke glanced at the time and nodded. They walked their way towards the kitchen as Sakura went through recipes in her head_. __**"**__Tomatoes are his favorite food." _An idea flashed through her mind and a small smile graced her lips as she motioned for Sasuke to sit down. She started pulling ingredients out of the fridge and smiled as she started chopping a tomato up on the cutting board, "Would you like to have dinner here tonight?" A small blush was on Sakura's cheeks in anticipation as Sasuke eyed the fresh tomatoes. Sasuke's mind swirled with hunger as he saw his favorite food in front of him, "Sure." Sakura's smile brightened at his answer and she quickly started to grab more ingredients and placed them on the counter. Sasuke's eyes drifted around the room as Sakura was preparing dinner. His eyes stopped at a collection of photos hanging on the wall. A small smirk grew on his lips looking at all the funny photos of Sakura when she was younger. He focused on the picture of Sakura around the age of six hanging around a woman's shoulders. The woman was very beautiful and looked like Sakura except for the blue eyes and wavy hair, "Is that your mother?" Sakura flinched at the question accidently cutting herself with the knife while chopping. She dropped the knife on the floor and gripped her hand trying to ignore the pain. Sasuke immediately rose from his seat in alarm as he saw the blood dripping down her hand. His instincts kicked in as he walked over to her. Sakura looked away from him and glanced around for a towel, "You don't have to get up I'm fine." She blushed a little as Sasuke grabbed her hand and lifted it to his face.

Sakura's face burned as Sasuke placed her finger in his mouth to stop the bleeding. Her heartbeat was going mad as she stared at the floor finding herself unable to look Sasuke in the face. Sasuke was reacting on instinct completely unaware of how close he was to Sakura. After a silent minute it stopped bleeding and he released her hand. Sakura pulled her hands close to her chest still unable to look at him, "T-thank you." With her thanks she turned around to grab a band-aid letting him sit back down. Sakura quickly returned to cooking to try and keep her mind busy. The effort was useless as her mind drifted back to Sasuke's question. She stopped chopping for a moment and gave a bittersweet glance, "She was…" Sasuke glanced at her, "my mother." Sasuke's eyes widened slightly realizing what she meant. There was a tense pause, "Sorry…" Sakura started chopping the vegetables again, "It's okay, it was a long time ago." There was a tense silence as Sakura placed some cookware on the stove. Sasuke glanced back at the photo and tried to imagine losing his mother, "How old were you?" Sakura's face grimaced for a short moment as she tossed some pasta in boiling water, "Seven…It'll be ten years soon…" Sasuke's face fell slightly; he didn't dare ask for more. He knew asking about it would just bring back painful memories. Sasuke watched Sakura as she cooked with a slight dullness in her eyes. His hand flinched, he didn't like it. Her eyes weren't pretty when they were dull; they almost looked…dead.

Sasuke blinked coming back to reality as he heard a pan sizzle when food was tossed in. "Where's your father?" He relaxed as Sakura's mouth curled a little, "It's his first day back at work so he'll be a little late." Sakura smiled more as Sasuke nodded. _That's right, this is my alone time with Sasuke-kun. I can't let the past get to me. _She stirred the food in the frying pan and smiled at Sasuke, "Is there any food you hate?" Sasuke's expression loosened at the returning gleam in her eyes, "Sweets." Sakura a gave small laugh, "Somehow I'm not surprised." Sasuke watched her curiously as the nagging feeling in the back of his mind started up as he looked at her smile. He tapped his finger on the glass table trying to decipher what the unfamiliar feeling was. He silently traced his eyes over her cheerful face as the feeling grew stronger. He immediately looked down and placed his hand over his face as he felt a bang in his chest. He quickly stood up as the nagging feeling died down. Sakura watched him confused and concerned at his annoyed face, "Is something wrong?" Sasuke started walking at her hesitant voice, "I need fresh air." Sasuke wouldn't look at her face as he walked out the door and shut it behind him. He sighed as he sat on the stairs to the door. He rubbed his forehead and thought about what just happened. His eyes narrowed as he lightly put one of his hands to his chest. _What the hell was that?_

Sakura stood silently in the kitchen after he left, her expression fell a little. She silently returned to cooking assuming he wanted space. She grabbed two plates and set them on the counter. She inhaled a slow breath and leaned against the counter. _This isn't what I wanted… _She lightly put her hand to her heart, it hurt. She clenched her hand over her heart into a fist and turned back to placing the food on the plates. She made sure to leave a side plate of tomatoes on the table incase Sasuke wanted more. She prepared a pasta dish covered with shrimp and vegetables, especially tomatoes. She set out the dining utensils as Sasuke walked back in the door. She turned and gave her best smile, "Are you feeling better?" Sasuke inhaled slowly as he walked towards the kitchen and nodded. Sakura's smile became brighter, "I'm glad, dinner's ready." Sasuke nodded and sat down trying to relax, he didn't mean to storm out. Sakura set some glasses of water down and sat in her seat across from Sasuke. Her heart pounded against her ribs in nervousness and happiness. She prayed in the back of her mind that he didn't run out because he was angry or annoyed. She watched him as he averted eye contact and began eating the food. She tensed as he paused while chewing and finally looked at her face after swallowing, "It's good" Her smile returned and all the stress was lifted away.

They were able to spend the rest of the night peacefully without any dreading thoughts in mind. Sasuke actually held up a conversation and gave a few small smiles as Sakura gave her beautiful laughter. They ate slowly due to the kept up conversation. When Sakura's father came home Sakura was giggling about a prank Naruto tried to pull on Kakashi at their first day of school. Mr. Haruno walked into the house hearing her laughter and smiled as he saw them siting at the table, "You seem to be having a great time." Sakura turned and smiled wider, "Hey Dad." Mr. Haruno glanced at Sasuke and straightened his posture, "It's nice to see you Sasuke." Sasuke's lips uncurved a bit at the extra politeness, "Yeah…" Sasuke exhaled at he set his fork down and looked a Sakura's smiling face as she directed her father to where she left his share. Spending the day with her was really a relief from all the unneeded special treatment he got. He looked out the window at the darkening sky and gave an internal sigh, "I have to go, it's late." Sakura looked over to his face and frowned a little. She nodded and went to grab his stuff as he stood up. She took a deep breath and put on a smile as she went over to hand it to him next to the door, "I'll see you at school." He nodded and let his lips curve slightly as he opened the door, "You should wear that dress more." Sakura's face burned as he walked to his car waving his hand once in the air. Sakura's heart fluttered as she shut the door and turned to her father sitting down with his plate of food. She took a deep breath trying to calm the redness of her cheeks as she walked back to the table and sat in her seat. Her father looked up at her, "This is really good, I envy whatever guy gets to have you make this for him when you're older." Sakura's face flamed again at the thought of being together with Sasuke and cooking meals for him every night. She drank some water trying to cool her burning face, "So how was work?" Mr. Haruno smiled, "Great, my office is bigger than last time and my co-workers seem pretty nice." Sakura smiled and took the last bite of her food, life was really working out here.

**_an hour later_**

Sakura hummed as she finished up her homework and shoved her things back in her briefcase. There was a soft smile on her face as her mind crossed over the time she spent with Sasuke. She let out a small giggle as she slipped into a white tank top and red shorts for pajamas. Even though the day had a rocky start she greatly enjoyed it. _"You should wear that dress more." _Sakura's face lit up a bit but she didn't try to fight off how happy it made her to hear that. It wasn't a direct compliment but she could take it as one. She walked into her bathroom and looked at her reflection; she swayed a bit and smiled as her hair swung back and forth. _My hair looks like Mom's. _The thought of her mother made her feel peaceful for once instead sad. She walked back in her bedroom, turned her alarm clock on, and laid in bed. She smiled at the stars outside of her window and closed her eyes.

**_Sakura's Dream_**

Sakura sighed as she walked down the snowy sidewalk; she shivered from the cold temperature. Her red, black, and white striped scarf covered the bottom half of her face as she looked miserably at the ground. She was moving again… She held her hands closely together in the sleeves of her dull pink sweater as her jade eyes trembled before the park bench; she called Sai to meet her there. She had known she was moving for a week but hadn't told anybody. She wiped some snow off the bench and sat down while staring at the still snowy sky. It was the middle of January and she would be moving in three months. Her eyes dulled as she imagined leaving everything behind; she'd lived in this town for a little over three years and made some close friends. What was the hardest part is she was in the middle of her first serious relationship with Sai. It would be two years soon and she was pretty sure she was in love. Tears swelled into her eyes. _What if we can't handle a long distance relationship? _"Sakura?" Tears stung her eyes and she looked towards the voice to see Sai's confused face. He was warm in his black coat, dark jeans, and a dark green scarf she had given him for Christmas. She bit her trembling lip as he walked closer, "You seemed pretty serious on the phone." Her chest tightened as he sat beside her and she shut her eyes tight trying to take relaxing breaths. She leaned her head against his shoulder unable to look him in the face, "I'm…moving." She held her breath at the silent pause, "When?" She narrowed her eyebrows mournfully, "In three months." She fought the tears in her eyes from spilling; she didn't want to leave him, he meant so much to her. Her eyes widened as he stood up and looked down at her with a careless expression, "Well, I guess we're over then."

Sakura's heart stopped as her ears rung, "W-what?" She looked up at his bored eyes from the bench. "You're useless if you're far away." Sakura's body started shaking as stared in horror into his black eyes, "I…I don't understand." Sai frowned carelessly at her sorrowful expression, "I can't use you for anything if you're gone. I don't need you anymore." The tears finally fell down her cheeks as she watched him turn around and walk away leaving her in the cold. Her breathing became heavy as his figure disappeared in the snowy distance. She shook from anxiety as his words ran through her mind and tore apart her heart. Tears started pouring faster out of her eyes as she let out a few choking sobs. She painfully stood up and began running in the direction Sai had went as hot tears blurred her vision. She breathed heavily through her sobs unable to find him. She tripped and crashed into the snowy ground with nobody around to help her. She sat there for a moment letting it sink in that he really left her. She let out a mournful scream as tears poured down her face but the street was empty and nobody could hear her. She laid in the snow and cried for hours until she had no more tears left to shed.

She slowly got up as her hair stuck to her wet face and damp clothes. She walked through the white ground as her dull eyes stared blankly at the ground. Half way to her house her vision became blurry and her face became hot. She stumbled as she walked farther and finally made it to the driveway of her house. Her father was pulling groceries out the car as he turned to her with a smile, "Hey kiddo!" His face froze in concern as he saw her pale face and withered expression. Sakura looked up with her blank eyes and let her heavy body collapse to the ground. Mr. Haruno dropped his groceries to the ground and ran over pulling her into his arms as he screamed her name. Sakura's hazy eyes stared emptily at her father's desperate face as her body felt heavy from the heat in her face. She gave in to her heavy eyelids trying to make her broken heart stop hurting.

**_out of dream/time skip_**

Sakura awoke gasping as her alarm clock rung loudly in her ears. She blinked in confusion realizing it was morning. She turned off her alarm clock and rubbed her face with her hands…it was wet. She walked to her bathroom and turned on the light. She frowned in anger at her reflection's swollen eyes and wet cheeks; she hated herself for letting him get to her. She sighed in frustration and turned on her shower. She tossed her pajamas in the corner and let the hot water hit her face. She took a slow breath and stared at her dripping hands. She had passed out from a severe fever that day…all the hours she spent crying in the snow made her sick and her father had to take her to the hospital. She bit her lip as she washed her hair; her lack of motivation to recover caused her to stay in the hospital for a week and her father was beyond terrified the whole time. She felt so bad for her father afterwards because he was so scared of losing his only family member. She sighed as she got out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel; that was her first real heartbreak. She frowned at her reflection as she blow-dried her hair; her eyes were still a little puffy.

Once she was done blow drying her hair she slipped on her uniform, tied her red ribbon in her hair, and headed down stairs. There were fresh strawberry muffins on the counter when she walked in the kitchen and her father sitting down drinking his coffee. She inhaled the fresh scent of the muffins as she walked in the kitchen and placed her briefcase on the table, "Morning" Her father turned and smiled at her, "Good morning kiddo!" She smiled at his enthusiasm of seeing her, "You gonna work late again?" Her father took a sip of his coffee, "Not sure, I'll call you and let you know after school." She nodded, taking the last bite of her muffin, "Are you working next week on Monday?" Her father's eyes narrowed at her hesitant voice wondering what she meant. He thought about the date in his head as his eyes widened painfully, "Maybe…I'm trying to get off…" Sakura nodded solemnly, Monday was her mother's death anniversary; there was a tense silence in the room. Sakura jumped a little a she heard a car honking in front of the house, "Gotta go, bye Dad." She grabbed her briefcase and ran out the door before he could reply.

Sakura put on her best smile as she hopped into Ino's purple car, "Hey!" Ino smiled with her glossy lips, "Hey Forehead!" Sakura cocked her eyebrow and giggled as Ino sped off. Sakura smiled looking out the window; she loved riding with Ino. She always blared up her constantly happy music and made Sakura laugh. Ino glanced over at a stoplight, "So not meaning to bug you but…how do you know Sai?" Sakura face widened in surprise and quickly fell into distaste, that just killed her mood, "Not now Ino…ask me later." Ino frowned at Sakura's irritated voice, "Alright"

**_15 min later_**

Sakura smoothed out her skirt after hopping out of Ino's car and turned to walk into school. She let out a small shriek of surprise seeing Sai standing straight in front of her with his plastic smile. Her face quickly turned to anger as he gave out a small laugh. "Oh, I actually scarred you. I could never surprise you before." Sakura growled under her breath in disgust of their past memories, "What the hell do you want?" Sai cocked his head to the side, "I came to walk you to class like we used to." Sakura's chest rose in rage, "You stay the hell away from me! You have no damn right trying to act like nothing happened!" Sakura's anger overcame her as she tried to collide her palm into his face. Sai grabbed her wrist and took the opening to grab her other arm and pull her close, "Seems like you still have a temper." Ino ran over and pulled on one of Sai's hands, "Let her go!" Sai ignored her useless effort and tilted his chin down making his face inches from Sakura's, "You never gave me my kiss yesterday." Sakura's eyes widened in horror with tears creeping to the corner of her eyes as he leaned closer. _No! _Ino screamed as a firm hand landed on Sai's shoulder and jerked him back. Sai glanced back and his eyes widened as Sasuke plummeted his fist into Sai's face.

**_author notes_**

Yeah kind of a cliff hanger but it's about time I updated. So this chapter is kind of awkward for me cuz I was working on this before and after vacation and I just kept hitting writer's block in a few spots, but I hope you like it. And no I really don't hate Sai I just need him to be the villain for a little bit. So please comment and vote on the Ino poll at the top. I'll try to update soon but I start school soon and my dad wants me to get another job now that my summer job is over.


	8. Determination

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 1**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba: 1**

**InoSai: 2**

**:) ShikaTema: 3**

**Ch. 8 Determination**

Sakura held her breath as she saw Sasuke slam his fist into Sai's face. Sai collided hard into the ground with a fresh bruise on his right cheek. Sai pushed himself up and glanced at Sasuke as he wiped a line of blood from his mouth. Sakura blinked back the tears in her eyes as Sai's black eyes stared into Sasuke's matching ones but Sasuke's were radiating with anger. Sasuke's expression openly showed his rage as his hands were balled into tight fists, "**Don't** touch her!" Sakura moved her glance at Sasuke surprised at how furious he seemed. Sai stood up and stared at Sasuke for a few moments as Naruto stood behind Sasuke for back-up. Sakura's stomach churned as she saw Sai put on his plastic smile. "Well it seems I'll have to leave…I'll see you another time Sakura." Sakura's chest tightened as Sai picked up his briefcase and walked away towards the school; her mind screamed trying to imagine what he'd do next time. Ino turned at Sakura's nervous face, "Are you okay?" Ino's voice caught her attention and Sakura ran her shaking hand through her hair, "Yeah, thanks." Sakura picked up her briefcase she dropped and took a few steps towards Sasuke and Naruto, "Thank you." Sasuke released all the anger from his face and looked down at Sakura; he nodded just glad that she was alright. He walked over after hearing Ino scream and when he saw what was happening he just couldn't control himself. He didn't understand why but all his senses were overwhelmed with the sole thought of protecting Sakura.

The few observing students finally dispersed as Naruto handed Sasuke his briefcase and all four walked silently up to the school. Sasuke watched Sakura from the corner of his eye unsure if she was really okay. Her expression was pretty blank but her eyes seemed clouded from thought. He finally glanced away as Hinata walked up and said her greetings; Sasuke nodded in response and kept walking. Sakura watched Sasuke walk away with Naruto with a hint of distress on her face. She hated feeling so powerless but she felt safer with Sasuke around now that Sai was causing her problems. "Sakura?" _What am I going to do if I can't fight him off? _"Sakura?" _Sai had always been just as good at physical combat as me… _"Sakura!" Sakura jumped and directed her attention to Ino and Hinata, "Huh? Sorry, were you saying something?" Ino's expression saddened, "Are you really okay? I mean I get it if you wanna skip class." Sakura shook her head, "No I'm fine, really." Sakura smiled at the two girls' concerned faces until they gave in. Sakura hated the idea of going near Sai again but she felt safer sitting next to Sasuke than skipping class.

The girls slowly walked through the halls and Sakura held her breath as they opened the door to their class. Her eyes nervously searched the room and were relieved to see Sai sitting idly in his seat not even looking their way. Sai sitting in the very back corner of the room was the greatest thing she could ask for. She quickly turned her eyes away and headed to her seat as he began to turn his head. She looked down at her desk as she placed her briefcase; her muscles slowly relaxed taking in Sasuke's presence next to her. Sasuke watched her in the corner of his eye slightly angry at her disturbed actions since she walked in the door. She seemed more relaxed now but her troubled eyes made him sick. He tilted his head back a bit to see Sai watching her but turn away when he glared him down. He growled under his breath at Sai's persistence. _I guess punching him in the face wasn't enough. _Sasuke knew he was being over protective which was driving him crazy but there was no way in hell he was going to let Sai do whatever he wanted to Sakura. He knew he was cold towards a lot of people but he'd kill anybody who tried to hurt his friends. He tapped his fingers on the desk as the bell rang; he needed to make sure Sai didn't even get the chance to touch Sakura.

Sasuke glanced up as Kakashi clapped his hands for everyone to get in their seats; Kakashi was earlier than usual… Kakashi was actually just worried he'd end up finding a fight in classroom if he got there too late. He could easily see the negative energy between Sai and his other students and he didn't need to get in trouble for being absent in his classroom while a fight started. Kakashi glanced around at his students and sighed at Sai's swollen, bruised cheek. He directed his gaze at Sasuke and Sakura to say something but hesitated at Sakura's troubled face. He clenched his jaw and let it slide as began teaching his curriculum for the day.

**_five hours later_ **

Sakura sighed as she walked back in the girls' locker room with dozens of other girls after Gym. They spent most the time running which was great for her since she had a lot on her mind but she was worried about Sai bothering her the whole time. The only reason he didn't was Sasuke practically hovered over her the whole time. Her lips curved up a bit; he didn't say much but it was comforting having him next to her the whole time. Her lips uncurved as she was about to throw her gym clothes back in her locker. She looked down at the clothes in her hand as the powerless feeling she had this morning crossed her mind. She furrowed her eyebrows determined and shoved them in her briefcase. She slipped on her uniform and tied the red ribbon in her hair as she walked out the door to her last class.

**_an hour later_**

Sasuke watched Sakura in the corner of his eye as she lightly tapped her pencil against her desk. Yamato had somehow trailed off on a lecture and was enjoying scaring the dear life out of Naruto with his horror stories, or maybe it was just Yamato's expression? Sasuke ignored the thought as he saw determination swirl through Sakura's jade orbs. He was confused at her attitude change but mildly curious to what was going through her mind. He tilted his gaze back to Sai unsure of what to think of Sai's thoughtful expression. Sai was mainly gazing out the window but anger swirled in the pit of Sasuke's stomach considering Sai could be planning something against Sakura. He needed to protect her; he would rather die than let Sai toy around with her again. Sasuke's lips curved down a bit, he was being overprotective again… He sighed internally trying to push the confusion away and looked at the clock. _Just seven more minutes… _

Sakura stared at the clock, seven more minutes till school was over for the day. As comforted as she was by Sasuke's presence she wanted to leave _now_. She wasn't afraid of Sai or anything but she had something to do. She had already spoken to Ino and asked her to drop her off at the nearest gym. That defenseless fear she felt this morning made her sick, not to mention angry. She needed to improve her fighting skills immediately so she could surpass Sai and defend herself better. There was no way in hell she was going to let him take advantage of her again. _Five more minutes… _Next time Sai tried something she was determined to kick his ass. She appreciated Sasuke's protection of her but she wanted to be able to stand her own ground. She wasn't going to let _anyone _toy with her however they wanted to.

Sai glanced over at the back of Sakura's head knowing class was almost over. He shifted his gaze to Sasuke for a moment; Sasuke was making it really hard to get near Sakura. Sai glanced back out the window. He had spent the majority of the class trying to figure out how to get Sakura alone. He was disappointed at the fact that he hadn't think of anything. Sai didn't understand the new town or school enough to think of anything. He was actually quite surprised to see how well Sakura had adjusted to her new life here. If he remembered right it had only been a few days since she moved here and it was like she'd lived here her whole life. His lips curved downward, it was like she didn't even care about her previous town. His eyes narrowed slightly disliking the thought. He was not going to let her forget!

Sakura stood quickly as the bell rang and picked up her already packed briefcase. She was beyond ready to leave. Sasuke stood up with his briefcase observing her behavior. She bolted out the door with Ino before he could say anything. He pondered what exactly was going through her head as he pulled out his keys to leave. He looked up seeing Sai walk up next to him in the corner of his eye. Sasuke glared hard into Sai's blank face while Sai just stared. Naruto and Hinata watched the tense silence feeling nervous from the hateful atmosphere. Sai finally narrowed his eyes showing his own hostility and walked away. Sasuke kept the distaste on his face as he watched Sai walk out of the room. Naruto stood beside Sasuke with a distasteful expression, "I really don't like that guy." Sasuke tilted his chin in agreement; he didn't just dislike Sai he _hated_ him.

**_twenty minutes later_ **

Sakura twisted back and forth in her gym clothes. She ended up putting the navy shorts on but just settled with her black sports bra on top. She pulled her hair up and walked out of the girls' locker room and looked at the unfamiliar gym before her. She sighed walking over to the boxing area; it was the closest to a dojo she would get. She ignored a few laughs some guys made as she walking up to some sparring equipment. She wrapped medical tape around her hands and began pounding the punching bag. She occasionally swung her leg at the bag and was pleased by the forceful impact. She was so focused on destroying the punching bag, that she was pretending was Sai, that she didn't notice everyone around her begin to stop and watch. It was needless to say the arrogant guys who laughed before were truly surprised a girl could have so much skill.

Sakura stopped suddenly as a tan girl with brunette hair pulled into buns steadied the punching bag for her. The unfamiliar girl smiled and her chocolate eyes brightened, "Nice technique." Sakura blinked as a pale boy with long brown hair stood behind the girl, "Thanks…" Sakura prepared to continue beating the punching bag but was interrupted. "I noticed the Kohona high symbol on your shorts. I'm TenTen; we go to the same school." Sakura finally stopped and smiled, "Oh, I'm Sakura Haruno nice to meet you." The boy behind her blinked in surprise, "Sakura?" Sakura nodded and looked into his familiar pearl eyes.

"You're Hinata-sama's new friend, correct?" Sakura nodded connecting the similarity in their features, "Yeah we're in the same class." Sakura cocked an eyebrow and the boy's stoic face, "Thank you for taking care of her." Sakura nodded in confusion to his sudden respectful attitude. TenTen giggled, "He's Neji, her cousin. We're a year older than you." Sakura eyes widened a bit, "Oh, well it's nice to meet you."

TenTen pointed her thumb back to the boxing ring, "Do you spar?" A grin grew on Sakura's face, "I do more than spar." The girls giggled as the stepped into the ring and Neji leaned against the corner, "Begin!" Sakura watched as TenTen swung a few punches her way. Sakura dodged and swung her leg under TenTen feet. She was surprised and intrigued to see TenTen flip back and dodge it. The girls smirked and went for more blows at each other. Neji watched with interest despite his blank face. He was very impressed to see Sakura hold up so well against TenTen; not many people could do that. The surrounding people began to take interest as Sakura grabbed TenTen's arm from behind and swung her over her shoulder. TenTen's back slammed to the floor but pulled Sakura down to kick her in the air. Sakura's stomach took the impact but she managed to ignore it and flipped herself onto her feet. Both girls stood staring at each other, both enjoying the fight.

Sakura wiped some sweat from her forehead and prepared to attack but nearly stumbled at someone screaming her name. "Come on Sakura-chan kick her butt!" Sakura turned her gaze to see Naruto and Sasuke on the side of the ring observing. TenTen laughed and smirked towards Naruto, "Yeah, she does a better job than you!" Naruto pouted and raised his fist, "Hey! That was one time!" Sakura glanced at Sasuke while TenTen burst into laughter. She blushed lightly at Sasuke's continuous stare at her and nervously smiled at him. Sasuke shifted is gaze away from her smile as some odd sensation swirled in the back of his mind. Sakura frowned a bit as he looked away from her and completely missed Naruto jumping in the ring. Naruto noticed Sakura's distraction and grew an evil smirk on his faced. He put a finger to his mouth and shushed TenTen from saying anything and snuck up behind Sakura.

Sakura gasped as Naruto wrapped his arms around Sakura's shoulder and Naruto yelled surprise. Sakura instinctively grabbed his arms and leaned forward flipping him to the ground. Naruto grabbed the back of his head and whined, "Sakura-chan that hurt!" Sakura's eyes widened in surprise while TenTen laughed, "Sorry Naruto! And wait, I told you to stop doing that!" Naruto pouted while still lying on the ground, "I didn't think you'd flip me!" A small smirk grew on Neji's lips at Naruto's complaining, "Serves you right moron." Naruto turned onto his stomach and stood up, "Shut up Neji!" Sasuke watched Sakura giggle and absent-mindedly traced his eyes down her body like many other guys in the room had. Her long hair was pulled up making it sway whenever she moved, wearing a black sports bra showed off her toned abs, and the navy shorts that went half way down her thigh showed off the rest of her toned body.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as TenTen quickly bent down with her face in front of his, "Whatcha staring at?" Sasuke lips turned down a bit fully aware she knew what he was looking at by her amused grin, "None of your concern." TenTen gave a small laugh and stood back up feeling very amused, "Hey Sakura wanna spar again?" Sasuke watched as Sakura turned and nodded with a cheerful smile on her face.

**_an hour later_**

Sasuke finished lifting weights as he saw Sakura wave at TenTen and Neji and get out of the ring. He got up as she swung a small towel around her neck and walked over to her, "You need a ride home?" Sakura turned and her faced burned realizing his grey shirt was now around his neck, "U-um, yeah. T-that'd be great." She quickly turned to avoid letting him see her red face and headed towards the girls locker room. Sasuke watched her as she disappeared behind the door. He grabbed a towel and wiped his damp face and then pulled his shirt back on. He turned as Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder, "Sakura-chan's pretty awesome don't you think?" Sasuke watched as Sakura walked back out the door with her white gym shirt thrown on and briefcase in hand. "Yeah…"

**_half an hour later_**

Sakura sat downstairs for dinner with her freshly washed hair braided to the side and wearing a green tank-top with a white skirt. Her father had gotten home about five minutes before her and had whipped up some dinner while she was in the shower. Sakura smiled at her father as he placed her dinner in front of her and sat down, "So how was school?" Sakura smiled refusing to let Sai cross her mind, "Good, I didn't get much homework." Today had been overall a good day; she wasn't going to let Sai ruin it. The drive home with Sasuke had been mostly silent but she was just glad he put his shirt back on. Her face reddened a little as she took a bite of her food. She had already thought he was hot but a shirtless Sasuke could make girls drop dead from a heart attack. "Sakura are you okay? You're face looks a little red." Sakura shot her jade orbs back up to her father and nervously laughed, "No I'm fine, probably just red from the work out." Mr. Haruno hesitated but gave into to her statement and continued eating.

After dinner Sakura did her homework and pulled her silver laptop with a cherry blossom design into her lap. She smiled at the photo of her and her parents that was her desktop. It was their last new years together and her and her mother were all dressed up in kimonos with snow in the background. It was only two weeks later that her mother would be diagnosed with cancer. Sakura smile faltered a bit as she ran her thumb over her mother's face on the computer screen.

**_flashback_**

Sakura giggled as she hopped up the steps of the temple in her light green kimono decorated with different colored butterflies. She was trying to get up to the temple as fast as her six-year old legs could carry her. Her shoulder length hair was pulled part way back with butterfly pins. She turned and smiled as her father yelled for her to slow down since the steps were icy. Her father was in traditional Japanese male clothing with black bottoms and green top. Sakura's eyes traveled over her beautiful mother; she was wearing a deep blue kimono with white, pink, and light blue flowers detailed across it. Her mother's long wavy hair was pulled up into intricate bun with some flower pins. Sakura gave a cheesy grin as her parents got up to her and let them each take one of her hands and walk the rest of the way up to the temple.

Sakura ooed and ahhed at all the stands and bright lights before her. She pulled her parents all over the temple and got her father to win her a goldfish and white teddy bear. She skipped around the snowy ground happily with her things in hand as her parents walked behind her arm in arm. Sakura's eyes brightened as she saw a photographer taking pictures next to a snowy garden. She pointed and looked at her parents with her joyous jade orbs, "Mommy, Daddy let's go to take a picture!" She yelled in glee at their agreement and ran over tugging the photographer's sleeve, "We want one!" She giggled in excitement as her father handed him the money and the got ready for the photo. Sakura's father placed a hand on the top of her head and her mother placed a hand on her shoulder and she squeezed her prizes and gave the happiest smile she could.

**_end of flashback_**

Sakura smiled bitter sweetly at the photo, that was one of her favorite memories. After her mother was diagnosed she lived a few months until late April which would be next week. She sighed and leaned her head back on one of her propped up pillows; she really couldn't believe it was almost ten years since her mother died. She stared up at her ceiling as visions of her mother crossed her mind. _I wonder what she'd think of me now…_

**_authors notes_**

So I really wanted to put this up last week but was caught off guard to family visiting that I didn't get told about till the day before. So I hope you like the chapter and that it doesn't look bad from working on it like every four days. So Sai got his well deserved punch in the face and I finally introduced TenTen and Neji into the fanfic. I'll still be adding other characters along the way and I added some links on my profile to references I keep mentioning. I'll hopefully have the next What If chapter up by the end of the week, I've already started working on it. Anyways review and vote on the poll please! I really appreciate it!


	9. Avoidance

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 3**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba: 4**

**InoSai: 2**

**:) ShikaTema: 5**

**Ch. 9 Avoidance**

Sasuke opened his eyes as the annoying sound of his alarm clock blaring in his ear. He rolled over and turned it off and laid in his bed another moment. He directed his eyes towards the window where the sun was creeping up. He sighed and finally got out of bed. He stopped noticing a red note taped to the door of his bathroom. _"Your dad and I had a last minute business call and will be gone for a few days, Love Mom. P.S. Say hi to Sakura for me!" _Sasuke lips tilted down a little as he threw the note in the trash and walked in his bathroom. He turned on the hot water and placed his navy towel next to the shower. He threw his pajamas in the corner and got in the shower letting the hot water hit his muscles. He stood there silently watching the steam rise out of the shower; the house was empty again… His expression tightened a bit as he ran some shampoo through his hair. He got out and dried himself off with a dull expression. The towel hung around his neck as he put on his uniform and his phone went off. He glanced over and picked up the black gadget, **"**Hello?**"**

"Good Morning Sasuke-kun**"** Sasuke's expression became a little lighter as the pinkette's voice ran through his mind, **"**Sakura?**"** He could hear her fidgeting with something over the phone. **"**Ino got sick and is not coming to school so I was wondering, um, if maybe you could take me?**"** Sasuke's expression slowly turned into a mild smirk as her nervous voice filled his lonely morning, **"**Sure.**"**

Sasuke could practically feel her mood change through the phone. **"**Thanks Sasuke-kun! I'll see you in a little while.**"** He mhmmed as a reply before they hung up and he tossed the towel around his neck in the hamper. He walked downstairs and threw some breakfast in the microwave. He glanced around the empty kitchen and for once it didn't bother him knowing he would be with Sakura soon. His eyes narrowed at the thought. _What makes her presence so different than the others? _He tapped his fingers trying to figure it out as the microwave went off. He continued to think as he took a few bites of his food. He wanted to understand why Sakura's presence made him so much more relaxed. Maybe it was because she didn't care about his family's fame or money? Meeting someone like that really was refreshing compared to everyone else besides Naruto. He let the thought slide as he placed his dish in the sink, grabbed all his stuff for school, and got in the car.

**_about ten minutes later_**

Sakura fiddled with the end of one of her long strands of hair; Sasuke would be there any minute and her nerves were going wild. She practically freaked when Ino called her last minute saying she couldn't take her to school. Before Sakura knew it she had called Sasuke on instinct. She blushed lightly, she subconsciously held him as protection and somebody she wanted to rely on. Even if she didn't have a crush on the mysterious Uchiha she would still feel safe around him no matter what. Being safe made Sai cross her mind. She gave a triumphant smirk; after working out yesterday she was confident she could take him down by herself.

Sakura took the last bite of her apple and threw it in the trash as Sasuke pulled into her driveway; she had grabbed her briefcase and ran out locking the door behind her before Sasuke had a chance to honk. Sasuke's gaze trailed her smile as she jogged over to his car. He absorbed her positive aura as she sat in his car and shut the door. **"**Good Morning Sasuke-kun!**"** He nodded in response and began backing out of the drive way, **"**Where's your father?**"** Sakura's eyes widened a little at him actually starting a conversation, **"**He had to leave early for work; he was gone before I woke up.**"** Sakura watched him nod as he looked down the road. She shifted her feet trying to think of a way to continue the conversation.

"I know I already thanked you but…I really appreciate you saving me yesterday.**"** Sasuke tilted his head in confusion and realized what she meant by her awkward expression; she meant Sai harassing her. His expression tightened and he gave a hard nod, **"**You don't have to thank me.**"** Sakura watched him in curiosity, **"**But you could've gotten suspended.**"** Sasuke's expression remained hard, **"**I don't care, he deserved it.**"** Sakura's eyes widened a little in surprise and she settled back into to her seat. A small smile graced her lips and her cheeks became slightly pink. He was basically saying he would be there for her no matter the consequence. She knew he'd probably do that for any friend but it meant a lot to her.

Sasuke glanced at her sweet smile from the corner of his eye and his eyes widened a little. He unconsciously became distracted every time she smiled and he didn't understand why. He watched her face a little longer as the unfamiliar feeling in the back of his mind became a little longer trying to figure out what it was. **"**SASUKE-KUN!**"** Sasuke was taken out of his daze by Sakura's scream and he slammed on the breaks. He held his breath until they screeched to a halt a few centimeters from running a red light and driving straight into traffic. He clenched the steering wheel and widened his eyes trying to figure out what he just did. He slowly looked over and saw Sakura extremely tense and gripping the sides of her seat. She slowly opened her eyes and took a slow breath trying to calm down, **"**What the hell were you doing?**"**

Sasuke's eyes widened a little more at her shaky voice and terrified eyes. He parted his lips to say something but nothing came out. _What was I doing? _Sasuke looked down trying to comprehend he could've killed the both of them. He gripped his hand against his forehead and leaned back against his seat, **"**Sorry…I was distracted.**"** Sakura was prepared to argue, whether she liked him or not he could've killed them, but stopped at his stressed expression. She gave a small sigh and tried to relax her pounding heart, **"**It's fine, just…just pay more attention.**"** The rest of the drive was silent and Sasuke didn't glance at Sakura once.

When they arrived at school Sakura quickly got out eager to stand on firm ground. She stood still and gripped the side of his car feeling safe on the hard pavement. She watched Sasuke get out with a displeased and almost guilty expression. She frowned a bit and jogged over to walk next to him before he could walk away. She grabbed his arm to stop him from walking away and forcing him to look back at her. **"**Sasuke-kun it's okay we're fine.**"** She gave a big smile and flexed one of her arms, **"**See!**"** His expression relaxed a bit staring at her face and he nodded. He glanced away finding himself becoming distracted by her smile again and gave a small sigh, **"**Let's just go okay.**"**

Sakura could tell he loosened up a bit but gave a small pout as she walked beside him, she couldn't tell if was still upset or not. _Why's he so hard to read? _Sasuke walked steadily so Sakura's pace could match his but he wouldn't look at her. All he could to do was wonder what had gotten into him while he was driving; sure, Sasuke sped sometimes likes practically every other teenager but he'd never been that close to an accident. The distraction of Sakura's smile almost made him too nervous to look at her.

"Hey Teme! Hey Sakura-chan!**"** Sasuke and Sakura looked up to see Naruto waving like a crazy idiot with his trademark grin. Sakura gave a small laugh under her breath and waved back with a smile. Sasuke stared straight at Naruto focusing to not look at Sakura. Once they reached Naruto, Sakura tilted her head to see a crowd near the school doors, **"**What's going on over there?**"** Sasuke glanced over as well.

Naruto turned and scratched his head, **"**Tsunade-baachan is supposedly having some important guests over.**"** Sakura caught Naruto's suspicious tone, **"**And?**"** Naruto gave a sigh with a creeped out look on his face and shuddered without response. Sasuke gave a small groan and answered without looking at Sakura, **"**Last time she had guests she was on rampage giving tons of students, including Naruto, detention for weeks.**"**

Sakura blinked in curiosity and watched Naruto shudder and mumble in fear. She glanced over at the crowd near the school doors again finally noticing the nervousness of the crowd. Whoever the guests were, the blonde principal must hate them. Sakura's concentration broke as a bell rang and everybody started filing into the building. Sakura gave a small sigh at Naruto's scared expression and Sasuke careless look. She quickly smiled from between them and grabbed their hands and began running towards the school, **"**Come on or we'll be late!**"**

Sasuke frowned being dragged around like a child and accidently looked at the back of her head. His eyes narrowed a bit as she giggled at Naruto's terrified ranting and continued pulling them through the building. He clenched his jaw watching her long hair flow from behind and his mind seemed to daze at the sight at her. Naruto glanced over noticing Sasuke's continuous stare at Sakura and as he quickly shook his head and looked away. Naruto blinked a few times as Sakura continued pulling them and then gave a devilish grin. _So that's how it is?_

They quickly reached the classroom a few moments before the bell rang surprised to see Kakashi already in the room. Naruto froze paralyzed at the fact Kakashi was there before class started, **"**Oh god, this has gotta be worse than a pop quiz!**"** Kakashi motioned for him to sit down and stared at the dead quiet class, **"**As some of you may have noticed Tsunade-sama has some guests today. I feel as your teacher you have a right to a warning; members of the school board are here and any misbehavior will go severely punished while they're here.**"**

The class was dead silent and Naruto gulped; he was the king of getting in trouble. Kakashi sighed at the scared silence and clapped his hands giving a big smile, **"**Now, let's get to that pop quiz Naruto was talking about!**"** The whole class groaned and went on with it's day as usual, all except for Sai. He tapped his pencil staring at the back of Sakura's head instead of taking his quiz. Sai was going to try and approach her this morning but was displeased to see Sasuke had brought her to school. He had spent the whole night pondering on how to get her alone but he just didn't know the town enough and her friends were quite persistent on protecting her. Sai frowned and finally began his quiz; there had to be some way to get her alone…

It had been about twenty minutes as Kakashi looked at his class; the majority of them were done. The grey haired teacher didn't come in early just to warn his students. If the school board saw him running late to class he could easily be fired. The school board members were old and vicious and all the teachers were afraid of them. He sighed noticing Sai stare at Sakura and turn away when Sasuke glared back; he really didn't want to lose his job. Sakura leaned her face against her palm waiting for others to finish as her eyes drifted across the room. She glanced at Naruto's frantic state and looked at Ino's empty desk before him; she wondered how Ino was doing. If Sakura knew where she lived then she would have come to visit or brought her something but Sasuke's house was the only one she had been to. She gave a light smile recalling the dinner at Sasuke's. _Hopefully our families can have dinner again soon._

Sakura turned her head to look at Sasuke but her attention was averted to the three people walking by that she could see through the hallway windows. She immediately recognized the principal Tsunade, with a very unhappy look, and looked closer at the two elderly following her. One was a woman with her grey hair pulled up in a round bun with an unpleasant look on her face. The other was a man with glasses and a grey beard to match his hair; his expression seemed aggressively stubborn and unhappy. She froze as the female elder glanced over to her and met her gaze; she gulped as the female elder glared at her and continued walking down the hall. Sakura looked back down at her desk and rubbed the back of her neck; she felt like the harshness of the older woman's stare was seeping through her body.

Sasuke saw the principal and school board members turn the corner and noticed at Sakura's tense state. He always hated the elders; the only time they showed a glimpse of kindness was to rich families, such as his own. The Hyuggas and him always got special treatment from them and Sasuke hated it; he was sick the fake hospitality and kindness. With that thought Sasuke turned to glance at Sakura even though he was determined not to look at her. She was running her hands through her hair and deep in thought; she was the only girl to ever treat him normally. She actually showed when she was annoyed at him, raised her voice at him, and didn't act like a puppy following him around for money.

Sai finished his quiz and glanced over to see Sasuke staring at Sakura in the corner of his eye. Sai frowned and clenched his fist; he could tell what Sasuke thought of Sakura even if Sasuke didn't. His frowned deepened; he was _not_ going to let Sasuke get in his way. His look hardened wondering how close Sakura and Sasuke had become in the short time she was here. He tapped his fingers moving his gaze to Sakura imagining them becoming closer. _Well I just can't let that happen now can I?_

**_at the end of class_**

After the quiz the rest of class was spent going over the next chapter in the book. Kakashi left the room after taking a final nervous glance between the two dark haired boys and pinkette. Hinata glanced back to see Naruto laying his head down on his desk groaning. Not only was Naruto scared about the school board being here; he was pretty sure he failed that quiz as well. _That old pervert is gonna kill me. _Hinata frowned a bit and took a deep breath before standing up and walking over to him, **"**N-Naruto-kun…**"**

The blonde looked up with a drained expression and gave a fake laugh, **"**Hey Hinata-chan, what's up?**"** Hinata frowned a bit at the lack of usual enthusiasm in his voice, **"**Um, I was wondering if…you…um…**"** she clenched her hands together and tried gathering all her courage, **"**W-Would you like to study together after school?**"** Naruto's eyebrows rose as a look of surprise spread on his face as Hinata glanced at the floor with a red face. His face finally brightened and he gave a big smile to her, **"**That'd be awesome Hinata-chan!**"** Hinata's head popped up with a surprised face as she stared at his smile. Her surprise quickly melted into her own beautiful smile as she nodded with excitement.

Sakura looked over at Hinata and Naruto and gave a small smile. _So she likes Naruto? _Her smile became bigger at Hinata's innocent and beautiful smile. She could only notice how cute they looked together. She tilted her head a little. _Naruto would be good for her too. _Sakura hadn't been here long but she could tell Hinata didn't have much confidence and Naruto would be a great cure for that. She looked back up as Kurenai-sensei walked in and Hinata quickly went back to her seat. The class continued on slowly taking notes and watching a video about how chemicals are used in nuclear power plants. A few students fell asleep, receiving a smack with a ruler, and it was soon lunch.

The whole class began to file into the cafeteria as Sakura tried getting Hinata to admit her crush to her and Sasuke and Naruto walked somewhat behind unable to hear them. Sasuke glanced back hearing Kiba mourn over his failed quiz to Shino and Shikamaru, and Chouji was already eating out of a bag of chips. Behind them something caught his eye; Sai was behind them and instead of his fake smile he was glaring at Sasuke. Sasuke snarled under his breath at him and glared back; he wanted to kill him. Sasuke turned away as he sat down at their table with Sakura and the others as Naruto and Shikamaru went to buy lunch.

Sasuke unwrapped his bento reminding himself not to look at Sakura. Sakura and Hinata were busy whispering to each other as Sakura giggled at Hinata's red face. Shino was mumbling to himself as Chouji stuffed his face and Kiba picked at his food. Sasuke glanced up as Naruto slammed his tray down on the table with tears in his eyes, **"**What's with you?**"** Everyone looked up at the blonde. Naruto looked at them all with a puppy dog face and fell to his knees, **"**The stupid hags from the school board got rid of ramen!**"**

The table remained silent for a moment as Naruto yanked on just seated Shikamaru's shirt. Sakura tilted her head in confusion, **"**So, it's just ramen.**"** The table panicked too late to cover her mouth. Naruto stood immediately and screamed, **"**JUST RAMEN!**"** Sakura's eyes widened as the cafeteria turned to stare. **"**Ramen is the most delicious thing to ever exist on the history of the planet! Without ramen I'll die!**"** Sakura parted her lips to say something but stopped hearing someone walk in the cafeteria. **"**I'll make those old bats regret taking away my ramen!**"**

"I dare you to repeat those words again, boy.**"** Naruto froze in fear and slowly turned to see two unhappy elders and principal Tsunade glaring at him. **"**I…um…well you see.**"** The old woman snarled, **"**Don't mumble!**"** Naruto winced as the cafeteria was dead silent. Tsunade's honey brown eyes narrowed, **"**Naruto, detention for two weeks helping the janitors!**"** Naruto's eyes widened prepared to argue but Sasuke stopped him knowing it would have severe consequences. The old man next to Tsunade gave an unhappy frown, **"**That's it? Tsunade you're pathetically soft! You're kindness is why these students act this way!**"**

Tsunade glared at the old man knowing whatever she said could get her fired, **"**What would you advise I do?**"** The old woman and man gave a huff under their breaths at her firm tone. The old woman glanced around the cafeteria and landed her eyes upon Sakura, **"**You…come here.**"** Sakura froze at her harsh voice and swallowed hard. She slowly stood up and nervously walked before the elders and principal, **"**Yes Mam?**"** Sasuke and her other friends watched from behind fearing for her. The old woman surveyed her features and gave a look of disgust, **"**Take the wig off, now!**"**

Sakura's eyebrows rose, startled by the request, **"**Mam, it's not a wig.**"** The old woman snarled and gripped her hand into Sakura's hair; she frowned as Sakura winced and tried to keep the elder from pulling harder, **"**You pathetic child! Tsunade how could you possibly allow your student to dye her hair such a color!**"** Sakura cringed as the old woman swung her head back and forth. She bit her tongue not to whimper as her head began to swell. Naruto stood in anger and prepared to yell but Sasuke beat him with a scowl on his face reaching Sakura in two swift steps.

Sasuke grabbed the old woman's hand and clenched it hard, **"**You can stop now.**"** The old woman looked at him aware of Sasuke's clan power. Sasuke narrowed his vicious black eyes, **"**That's her natural color; you're just too bitter to care. Now I advise you let go.**"** The old man put a hand on his companions shoulder causing her to slowly let go, **"**Of course Uchiha-sama.**"** Sakura slowly lifted her throbbing head as her vision dazed from the pressure in her head. Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned her back against his chest glaring at the elderly, **"**Don't you think you've seen enough today.**"**

The two elderly plastered a fake smile on their faces and gave a small bow to Sasuke, **"**As you wish Uchiha-sama, **"** the old woman gave a small glance to Sakura's pained expression, **"**but we will return.**"** With that Tsunade and the two elderly left the cafeteria. The cafeteria remained silent for a moment as Sasuke steadied Sakura still glaring at the elders through the glass on the doors, **"**You alright?**"** Sakura embraced Sasuke's warmth as she leaned against him, **"**I think so…**"**

Sasuke took a small glance down at her, **"**Let's go outside.**"** Sasuke began guiding her out the doors before she had a chance to comment leaving all they're concerned friends behind. Sasuke slowly guided her noticing her hazy eyes until they got outside and let her rest on a bench. He kept his eyes glancing to the side as she leaned her head in her palm and took a few small breaths. **"**Thanks for that.**"** Sasuke suppressed the urge to look at her after hearing her strained voice, **"**It's fine…I hate those elders anyway.**"** Sakura gave a small smile as her face was buried in her hand.

Sasuke took a quick glance at her noticing the pain making her face paler, he frowned. He took out his phone and shot a quick text and put it back in his pocket before picking Sakura up. Sakura gasped as he lifted her in his arms and began walking away from the school, **"**W-what are you doing?**"** Sasuke kept his gaze straight still refusing to look at her, **"**We're leaving.**"** Sakura stammered, **"**B-but what about our stuff? And we still have classes, we could get in trouble!**"** Sasuke ignored her frantic remarks, **"**Naruto's getting our stuff and Hinata will gives us notes. No arguing.**"**

Sakura parted her lips to give more excuses but stopped feeling the throbbing in her head get worse. She gave a small pout and leaned her head against his chest deciding to embrace the moment. Sasuke walked to the school parking lot with Sakura in his arms managing not to get caught or either teachers who saw didn't care. Sakura was impressed as Sasuke easily managed to open the passenger door keeping her in his arms until he placed her in the seat and buckled her seatbelt. Sakura's hazy eyes traced him as walked to his side of the car and started driving away from the school with a careless glance.

Sakura winced at the glaring sunlight through the window causing her throbbing head to worsen; she kept her eyes closed and faced down trying to avoid the light. Sasuke frowned noticing it in the corner of his eye pulling down the passenger sun visor to dim the bright sun. They remained silent the whole as Sasuke tried not to repeat what happened that morning and Sakura was trying to keep her throbbing head from worsening. Sakura finally opened her eyes part way hearing Sasuke park the car and gave a fumbled look at her surrounding, **"**This…is your house.**"**

Sasuke didn't answer as he got out of the car and picked her back up in her arms despite her complaining. A butler opened the door for Sasuke with a small smile and greeting without commenting on Sakura. Sakura gave a glance around the mansion embracing the dimmer light. Sasuke placed her on a deep plum couch and motioned for her to stay there. Sakura blinked a few times still wondering why he brought her to his house; she placed her face into her hand again at the addition to her headache.

She looked back up hearing Sasuke place a glass of water on the coffee table in front of her and hand her two pills, **"**Pain medication.**"** She nodded and swallowed them quickly along with the rest of her drink, **"**Thanks…, **"**She gave a small glance at his avoided eye contact, **"**Now can you tell me why we're at your house?**"** He shrugged still avoiding her gaze, **"**Easier.**"** She gave a small frown unconsciously hoping for something else. Sakura glanced around a few times noticing the silence, **"**Where's the rest of your family?**"** Sasuke's eyes darkened a bit, **"**Out of town and college.**"**

Normally a girl would fall over at the thought of being alone with Sasuke but Sakura had already done that at her house. Sasuke was still standing and wouldn't glance at her; he needed to keep his focus. Sakura turned to see a maid bring out a tray of fruit and glass of tomato juice. Sakura watched the maid leave and gave a small giggle as Sasuke began drinking it, **"**Your mother wasn't kidding.**"** He cocked an eyebrow and forced himself to divert his gaze from her, **"**What's that suppose to mean?**"** Sasuke's ears rung as she giggled a few more times. **"**Tomatoes really are your favorite food.**"** Sasuke gave an awkward pout tilting his head away trying to imagine what else his mother had said.

Sakura gave a smile noticing his embarrassment and then it dimmed, **"**Why won't you look at me?**"** Sasuke froze at her question. _She noticed? _Sakura's face saddened more, **"**Ever since this morning you won't look at me…Did I do something wrong?**"** Sasuke fumbled for words; he didn't want her to think she did something wrong but he couldn't tell her the truth. _What is the truth anyways…?_ He was always off guard when he saw her smile but he couldn't tell why and it was driving him crazy, **"**You didn't do anything wrong…**"** Sakura's frown remained on her face, **"**Then what is it?**"**

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair and slowly turned. He grimaced a fraction of an inch as he took in her hurt expression; he didn't mean to hurt her…, **"**You're…, **"**he lightly groaned, **"**When you…**"** He kept shifting awkwardly in frustration, **"**I don't know…I'm sorry.**"** Sakura moved her gaze and gave a small sigh as her eyes dimmed, **"**It's fine…**"** Sasuke took a glance at her again feeling guilty but he didn't know what to say or what was wrong with him. They remained awkwardly still for a moment; they both turned as they heard some bickering while the door was being opened. Itachi walked in with a red-head with brown eyes as they were arguing about being right over something.

Sakura blinked as they continued arguing before finally turning to see her and Sasuke there. The two men quickly silenced and Itachi gave a smirk, **"**So that's why you're not at school.**"** Sasuke gave a small frown, **"**Stop assuming things.**"** He turned his gaze to see the red-head quickly walking over to the couch and lean on the armrest a few inched from Sakura, **"**I'm Sasori, who might you be?**"** Sakura shifted awkwardly at his eager gaze; she would've punched him but his eagerness didn't contain mal intent, **"**Sakura…**"** Sasori gave a pleased smirk placing his hand on her cheek, **"**Well Sakura you're quite the beauty.**"**

Sakura opened her eyes in alarm as Sasori was abruptly pushed away from her and he stumbled backward. She turned in bewilderment along with Itachi to see Sasuke's scowling face. **"Back off!" **Itachi blinked a few times and gave an amused smirk. _And he hasn't even realized it yet. _ Sakura stared eyes wide at Sasuke's angry expression with confusion running through her head, **"**Sasuke…kun?**"**

**_authors notes_**

So I know it's been a long time since I updated but What If was on a cliff hanger with high demands so I did that first. I'm happy to say I won't be taking exams this year because seniors can exempt and will have 12 free days to write more chapters and do as I please :) Hopefully you liked the chapter and slow progress. I hope I didn't portray the elders to your dislike but they are quite harsh in the manga, considering the massacre and everything. Anyway! PLEASE review and let me know what you think, and just curious is they're anyone you like Itachi paired with?


	10. Tension

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 3**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba: 6**

**InoSai: 2**

**:) ShikaTema: 6**

**Ch. 10 Tension**

Hinata stared sadly at the clock; she was worried about Sakura. Sasuke sent a text saying he'd take care of her and that she needed to take notes for them but still…She jotted down a few things the teacher said; she hated the elders even more for doing that to her friend. The elders always acted so respectively to her because of her clan name but she knew they were vile people only set out for themselves. She gave a small sigh, everyone else at the lunch table was concerned too; they didn't like being uninformed.

Naruto groaned staring out the window; he wanted to knock those elders to hell, out, and back again. Taking away his ramen was a big enough crime, which he was now in trouble for, but harming his friend for no good reason was unforgivable. He glanced down at the two extra briefcases belonging to his friends lying under his desk; it wasn't like Sasuke to skip school either and he could tell Sakura was the kind of person to never miss a class. Naruto narrowed his eyes noticing the pink flower key chain hanging from her briefcase; it reminded him of her hair. His mouth curled downward, the same hair the dumb elder got mad at. He growled under his breath; he _really _wanted to kill those elders.

**_at the Uchiha residence_**

Sakura widened her eyes in alarm as Sasori was abruptly pushed away from her and he stumbled backward. She turned in bewilderment along with Itachi to see Sasuke's scowling face. **"Back off!" **Itachi blinked a few times and gave an amused smirk. _And he hasn't even realized it yet. _ Sakura stared eyes wide at Sasuke's angry expression with confusion running through her head, **"**Sasuke…kun?**"**

Sasuke breathed heavily as Sasori tried to gain his balance. His sudden temper began to fade as he looked at all the expressions being stared at him with. Realization finally began to come over Sasuke at what he just did. He took a step back, he had no idea what came over him; before he knew it he slammed Sasori away with an uncontrollable anger overpowering his mind. Sasuke fumbled for an explanation as he stared at Sakura's beyond confused face. He clenched his jaw unable to think of something as there was a dead silence in the room. Sakura opened her mouth to speak but Sasuke ran off before she had the chance, **"**Sasuke-kun!**"**

Her shoulders dropped as he ran to off to somewhere in the large house. Her expression furrowed as her eyes swirled with confusion and sadness; she didn't know what to think. Sasori brushed off his clothes and gave a scowl towards the direction Sasuke ran off, **"**What the hell is his problem?**"** Itachi patted his hand on Sasori's shoulder, **"**Please forgive my brother, he's…trying to sort out his thoughts.**"** Itachi noticed as Sakura turned lightly to him with a dim gaze unsure of what to do. Itachi gave a light encouraging smile at her, **"**Sakura may I show you something?**"**

Sakura's hesitated trying to shuffle through her confused mind and gave a light nod. Itachi patted Sasori's back and began walking towards Sakura, **"**Sasori I'll be back in a bit; you know where everything is.**"** Sasori gave a small pout as Itachi silently led Sakura away. Sasori watched them till they were out of sight and let out a small groan before heading towards the basketball court. His arms were crossed as he walked further through the house; he was tempted to look for Sasuke and ask him what the temper was all about but knew Itachi would kill him if he did so. Sasori gave a light sigh as he walked onto the court and picked up a ball. _I was just flirting with her…It's not like she's his girlfriend_

Sakura lightly glanced back and forth trying to figure out where Itachi was leading her; honestly, she just wanted to go home now. She still had a headache, she still didn't know why Sasuke wouldn't look at her, and now her mind was tossing and turning over Sasuke's reaction to Sasori hitting on her. Sasuke hadn't shown much of a sign of interest in her and he just didn't seem like the person that cared about love so she didn't know what to think. Her eyes narrowed; she didn't know how to face him now. Itachi looked down at Sakura's face with a light smile; he knew she was troubled now but he believed it would all work out in the end. Believing in that, he knew it wasn't his place to say what Sasuke would soon discover he felt.

Sakura looked up as she and Itachi faced a glass door; she tried focusing on the blurry green. Itachi's smile became brighter as he slowly opened the door, **"**I thought you might take some interest in this.**"** Sakura's jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. She slowly walked forward in awe; it was the largest and most beautiful greenhouse she had ever seen. Itachi slowly followed behind her amused by her reaction, **"**It's something my mother is quite proud of.**"** Sakura gave a light nod twirling her head around at flowers of every color you could imagine and a small built in stream curving next to a stone bench. She slowly walked to the bench and placed her hand on the blooming tree hovering over it, **"**It's a cherry blossom tree…**"**

Itachi smiled looking at the buds beginning to flourish, **"**My mother always loved it. She and Sasuke used to spend all their time here when she was home.**"** Sakura turned lightly to him, **"**Why is he acting so strange?**"** There was a tense silence as Itachi glanced the other way, **"**At the moment he doesn't know himself and it's driving him crazy…but if you act as always he will soon understand and everything will be worked out.**"**

"Understand what?**"** Itachi finally looked back at Sakura's hurt and confused face. He gave a small sigh, **"**That isn't really for me to say…but it shouldn't be long for him to figure it out.**"** Sakura's expression dulled a bit but she gave a light nod.

**_a few hours later_**

Sakura tapped her pencil on the last page of her homework staring at the moon through her window. Itachi took her home after seeing the garden and her father didn't come home till late so he was unaware of the situation from school. Hinata had emailed her notes and homework. She emailed Hinata she was fine but the truth was she was still conflicted; she didn't know how to act near Sasuke tomorrow. Itachi told her to act the same as usual but she didn't know if she could. She sighed laying her head down on her homework, tomorrow was going to be a long day.

**_the next morning_**

Sasuke irritatingly rolled over to the sound of his alarm clock; he hardly slept. He skipped dinner and avoided everyone for the rest of the day yesterday and he still didn't know what was with him. He slowly got up with a light groan and turned his alarm off. He gave a dull look around his room and headed for his bathroom. He eagerly got in the shower letting the hot water hit his tense body as he rested his forehead on the cool tile; he didn't know what to do. Sakura probably wouldn't speak to him without wanting an explanation first and he didn't have a clue of what to say.

He sighed as he got out of the shower, drying himself off, and putting on his uniform. He looked around as he walked down the stairs; Itachi went back to college. He sighed throwing some toast in the microwave; every minute he got closer to see her he dreaded his actions yesterday even more. He knew he was going to be in a bad mood all day. He scowled as he bit into his toast; today was going to be a very, very bad day.

**_at school_**

Sakura fidgeted at her desk as her two female friends went on about how much they hated the elders. Sakura's heart was pounding; her nerves were going wild waiting for Sasuke to walk in. She hardly slept unable to relax from all the confusion and unsure of how to act towards Sasuke. She jumped as her briefcase was placed on her desk. She looked up to see Naruto's worried smile. **"**You okay?**"** Sakura gave an uneasy smile at his honest blue eyes, **"**Yeah, thanks for grabbing my stuff.**"** Naruto quickly gave her a tight hug happy she was alright and gave a cheesy grin, **"**No problem, and don't worry, I'll beat the crap out of those elders next time I see them.

Sakura gave a light laugh; his positive aura made her relax a bit. She watched as Naruto looked over at her two friends and gave an awkward blush at Hinata who was doing the same. **"**Oh, uh…thanks for tutoring me yesterday.**"** Sakura cocked an eyebrow as Hinata gave a light nod looking like she was going to faint. She recalled they were going to study together yesterday. _What exactly happened?_

Sakura froze as Sasuke walked into the classroom. She lowered her gaze immediately unsure of what to do. **"**Hey Teme!**"** Sasuke nodded in response sneaking a small glance at Sakura. He frowned seeing her avoided gaze. Yep, today was going to be _absolutely_ wonderful. The bell rang but the friends continued to talk for a few minutes knowing Kakashi would be late again. Sakura finally gave a light glance in the corner of her eye at Sasuke as Kakashi walked in the room and everyone took their seats. Her eyebrows furrowed wondering what she should do. _"If you act as always he will soon understand and everything will be worked out." _

Sakura frowned recalling Itachi's advice. _Would that really work? _She gave a small sigh and began to watch Kakashi lecture; even if it did she would have to wait till the class was over to find out. Sai curiously watched Sakura and Sasuke noticing the tense atmosphere. Sai saw what happened yesterday and despite his bad past with Sakura he wasn't too happy about what the elders were doing to her. He was even more displeased to see Sasuke leave with Sakura and then they never came back. He tapped his pencil frowning at the memory; he had yet to reveal his real reason of coming to Kohonagakure but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Sasuke ruin his plan.

Hinata sighed at the slow clock; class was only half over. She glanced to the side and hid her red face after seeing Naruto. She felt like her heart was going to pop out of her chest

**_flashback_**

Hinata set down some textbooks and gave a light giggle at his horrified face. They went to his apartment since Neji would beat the living daylight out of him if he saw them together. **"**W-were just going to study a little of each.**"** Naruto groaned despite her encouragement, **"**I hate learning.**"** Hinata gave a light smile and sat beside him at the kitchen table; she opened up a history book knowing it was his best grade, **"**We'll start with the easy stuff first.**"** It took a lot of time through Naruto's lack of motivation but Hinata managed to teach him a little.

Naruto's eyes widened staring down at the page, **"**I…I got it…**"** Hinata's face brightened as a grinned formed on his face. He turned to her with his biggest smile giving her his tightest hug, **"**Hinata-chan you're amazing! The way you explain it is so much easier!**"** Hinata's face burned as he swayed back and forth holding her extremely close. She stuttered as her face matched Sakura's hair, **"**N-N-Naru-**"** She was cut off as Naruto swayed too hard and she screamed as they fell out of their seats. Hinata winced lightly as her back and head slammed to the ground. She hazily opened her lavender eyes feeling a heavy weight on her.

Her eyes widened realizing Naruto had fallen on top of her. Her face turned a million different shades of red as he shifted on top of her. Naruto groaned at the fall mumbling as he tried to push himself up. He blinked a few times wondering why his hand was against something soft. He looked up causing his eyes to bulge realizing he was squeezing Hinata's chest. There was a tense silence as Naruto watched Hinata turn the darkest shade of red…then, she screamed.

She instinctively pushed him off as hard as she could as he slammed Naruto into the back of a chair. Naruto rubbed the back of his head trying to fight off his own burning face, **"**I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!**"** Hinata swayed back and forth as she became dizzy. _Naruto-kun grabbed my chest…Naruto-kun grabbed my chest…Naruto-kun gra- _And with Hinata's frantic mind; she fainted. Naruto rose in alarm as Hinata toppled to the floor with her face still bright red, **"**H-Hinata-chan!**"** He kneeled in front of her grabbing her arms and shaking her nervously, **"**Hey! Hinata-chan!**"** The color drained from his face. _Neji is going to kill me!_

He softly laid her down and ran around the room in panic. He looked back at Hinata and pulled out his phone. He quickly dialed a number and prayed to god for an answer. **"**What'd you do?**"** Naruto gave a nervous laugh at Tsunade's accusing voice, **"**Heh…N-nothing! R-remember how you told me only to call in an emergency?**"** Tsunade's voice became lightly nervous, **"**Yes…**"** Naruto roughly rubbed the back of his neck, **"**Well, uh, you see…H-Hinata-chan and I were just studying and uh stuff happened and she fainted.**"**

He could hear Tsunade's voice fall hard, **"**What stuff?**"** Naruto cringed, maybe he shouldn't have called her, **"**Well we fell to the floor and I sorta fell on top of her, ON accident! And I was trying to get up and…I, uh…**"** He traced off into silence giving Tsunade all the time she needed to play out the scene in her. **"**You idiot! You're just like your perverted guardian!**"** Naruto cringed as she groaned over the phone. **"**Just lay her on the couch; she'll be fine! You just freaked her out.**"** Naruto nodded, thanked her, hung up the phone, and did so.

He nervously glanced at her resting on the couch. _Now what? _He pulled over a kitchen chair and sat backwards on the chair watching her. His face brightened as she shifted and murmured, **"**H-Hey Hinata-chan!**"** She opened her lavender eyes and stared at him for a moment wondering why she was on the couch. Her face turned red as it hit her all over again. She screamed pulling the blanket on top of her closer to her body. Naruto stood in alarm as his cheeks flamed as well, **"**I-I'm sorry! Please stop screaming, I didn't mean to!**"**

Hinata stared nervously at him as her face felt like it was on fire. She watched his honest eyes and glanced down covering her eyes with her bangs, **"**I-It…it's okay…it was an accident.**"** Naruto smiled at her embarrassed whisper, **"**Really! Thank you! I promise it won't happen again!**"** He glanced around wondering what to do, **"**Oh you must be thirsty!**"** He ran for a glass of water besides Hinata's kind protests. He brought back a large glass walking slowly with it. Hinata gave a light smile letting the blanket sit on her lap as she reached for the glass. Naruto however handed it out further to her colliding their hands together and making half the glass splash on Hinata.

Naruto froze paralyzed looking at Hinata's also frozen face. He was unable to avoid himself from looking down as he took notice that the water had soaked her _white _school blouse. His face slowly became red as he stared at and extremely viewable cleavage and a purple lacy bra. This time blood dripped from Naruto's nose and he fainted. Hinata screamed as her face took on another deep shade of red and she watched Naruto fall to the ground. She trembled in confusion trying to cover her chest and shake Naruto awake, **"**N-Naruto-kun!**"** Her hands shook as she looked down at her chest. She quickly pulled the blanket around herself and continued shaking Naruto, **"**Naruto-kun!**"**

**_end of flashback_**

Hinata's buried her face in her hands trying to forget yesterday. She eventually woke him up but everything was extremely awkward and she soon left after receiving an oversized orange sweater for her to wear home. Her face flamed in her hands knowing she couldn't look at Naruto anymore without her face burning red and/or fainting. She groaned lightly to herself. _What am I going to do?_

Ino looked back and forth at Hinata's burning face, Naruto groaning to himself, Sakura rubbing her temples, and Sasuke scowling at the board with his arms crossed. She gave a deep frown. _What the heck did I miss yesterday! _She groaned to herself feeling totally left out; she heard about the elders' situation but she was clueless why everyone was acting so odd. She crossed her arms and gave a defiant **"**humph**"** angry at the situation. She glared at the clock; seven minutes till the next class.

Sakura jumped as the bell rang and Kakashi left the room. She froze staring at her desk as the classroom began to chatter but her and Sasuke sat perfectly still with a tense silence between them. She slowly tilted her head a fraction of an inch and glanced at him. Sasuke tensed as he saw her part her lips prepared to speak in the corner of his eye. He grinded his teeth as she couldn't find anything to say. Sakura shifted in her seat. _What do I say? _**"**Um…**"** Sasuke shifted his gaze towards her voice. **"**Thank you for giving me a ride yesterday.**"** Sasuke cocked an eyebrow confused as he turned slightly more towards her.

She gave an awkward smile trying to find something else to continue on, **"**It helped me out a lot…You always seem to save me from trouble.**"** Sasuke's eyes widened a bit in surprise; this is not how he was expecting her to act, **"**Yeah…**"** Sakura's face brightened a bit at him speaking, **"**Tomorrow's Friday so maybe we could work on our project together.**"** Sasuke's mind twisted in confusion as he stared at her smiling face. He gave a slow nod as that strange feeling tightened his chest and his expression loosened a bit. He continued to watch her as she turned back to Ino's whining. He leaned back in his seat feeling some of the pressure wash away. _Maybe after Friday I can figure out what the hell is wrong with me._

The next class soon started and the pinkette and Sasuke started to return to their normal behavior. It was soon lunch where everyone but Naruto and Hinata carried on as usual despite the lack of ramen. Afterwards there next class quickly passed by and everyone filed into the locker room for gym.

Ino pulled her shirt down and stared hard at Hinata who was pulling her hair up, **"**What exactly is going on with you and Naruto!**"** Hinata squeaked nervously at the question and cast her burning face downwards. She fidgeted with her fingers, **"**W-What are you talking about?**"** Sakura watched, tying her hair up, as Ino ranted about her strange behavior. Hinata cowered back in nervous fear, she _really_ didn't want to talk about it noticing other girls in the locker room listening in, **"**C-Can't we talk about it later?**"** Ino frowned and put her hands on her hips, **"**No! I wanna know!**"**

Sakura sighed shutting her gym locker, **"**Ino, give her a break or she'll faint.**"** Ino quickly turned around and pointed her finger at Sakura, **"**What about you, huh! What's with you and Sasuke being all awkward!**"** Sakura's eyes widened as the entire female population of the locker room stopped what they were doing and silently stared. Sakura gulped at some of the intense glares at the mention of Sasuke, **"**I'm not sure what you're talking about. Nothing is going on between us.**"** She added that last part for all the girls staring. Ino groaned flinging her hands in the air, **"**Fine, fine, fine! Don't tell me, but I'll find out eventually!**"**

Sakura frowned as Ino stormed out to the gym and all the girls were still watching her. She sighed glaring at them till they dispersed, **"**Come on Hinata, let's get away from all the tension.**"** Sakura's ears perked as she heard yelling. She picked her pace up a bit till she got in the gym; she cocked and eyebrow watching a crowd of students cheering in front of the exit to the track. She nervously walked towards it having a bad feeling. Her eyes widened hearing Naruto's voice above everyone else's. **"**Come on Teme! Take him down!**"**

Sakura ran at the shout with Hinata behind her as she pushed through all the students to make her way outside. Her face froze as she saw Sai's and Sasuke's fists collide into each other's cheek. They both stumbled a few steps back and glared into each other's coal black eyes. Sai wiped a line of blood from his jaw, **"**Give up.**"** Sasuke glared back, **"**Not gonna happen.**"** Hinata pulled Sakura towards Naruto who was encouraging Sasuke at the sideline, **"**Naruto-kun what happened?**"**

Naruto looked at the girls forgetting the incident with Hinata because of all the commotion, **"**I don't know, the stupid asshole suddenly came up to Sasuke when we got into the gym and punched him in the face claiming you were his.**"** Sakura's eyes widened, **"**What…?**"** Naruto shrugged his shoulders as they watched Sasuke collide his fist into Sai's gut, **"**He said you belonged to him and Sasuke punched back and they've been going at it every since.**"**

Sakura stared eyes wide as the two dark-haired boys' battled it out gaining hits on each other one after the other. She clenched her jaw gripping her hands together. _They're fighting about me? _She took a sharp breath as Sasuke was knocked to the ground but quickly got up and tackled Sai to the ground. _Then this is my fault… _She frowned watching them repeatedly injure each other; it's like they were trying to kill each other, **"**Stop it…**"** Hinata turned at Sakura's light murmur. Sakura grinded her teeth together taking a step forward, **"**STOP IT!**"**

She ran at them as they barely heard her voice over all the screaming. The two boys growled angrily at each other aiming another punch. Both their eyes widened as Sakura jumped between them with her face forward to Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes quickly widened at her tortured expression and froze his fist inches away from her throat. He quickly lowered his fist but widened his eyes as Sai didn't stop in time plummeting his fist into her back. Sakura winced giving a small sound of pain as she was rocketed into Sasuke's arms and Sasuke fell back holding her in one arm and using the other to stay sitting up when he landed.

Sai stood frozen watching Sakura tremble lightly from pain in Sasuke's arms as all her friends gathered around her and Sasuke. _What did I do? _Sasuke looked at her nervously in horror ignoring all the pain from his body as she rested her forehead in the nape of his neck with staggered breaths. Naruto leaned down beside them, **"**Sakura-chan, are you okay!**"** She took a slow breath and shifted her face towards him letting all her weight rest against Sasuke, **"**Yeah…I'm fine.**"** Everyone narrowed their eyes knowing she was lying.

The class watched in suspense as there was a tense silence and Naruto quickly stood. He stood there for a moment and shot a deadly glare at Sai and ran straight for him. Sai was so wrapped up in shock at what he did he didn't notice Naruto till the blonde was two feet from him. Sai blinked right before Naruto hurled his fist into Sai's jaw. The rest of the class gasped as Sai was sent tumbling backwards through the dirt. **"**Touch my friends again and I swear I'll kill you!**"**

Sakura watched with dull eyes as she rested in Sasuke's arms. She watched as Sai struggled to sit up feeling a slight amount of sadness but then rested her cheek against Sasuke's chest. _No…I'm done with you. _Sasuke looked down at Sakura's dull expression and frowned. She slowly cradled her into his arms and stood as everyone watched him. He could tell something was wrong by Sakura's lack of complaints and his eyes dulled a bit. He looked towards his friends, **"**I'll take her to the nurse.**"** Everyone nodded watching him walk way and Gai happily jog past them in a green track suit.

Gai froze for a moment turned back watching him walk away with Sakura in his arms. He then gave a clueless look around at his students and Sai sitting beaten on the dirt, **"**What happened to you kids?**"** Ino scowled and stood before him, **"**You call yourself a teacher! What kind of teacher leaves his class alone for the first fifteen minutes? Sure, Kakashi-sensei is late but at least he's not leaving our class alone where nobody is nearby to hear what's going on!**"** Everyone outside watched stunned at Gai's shocked face and Ino's scowl before she turned and left back into the school.

Sai watched curiously as the blonde's hair floated behind her as walked away in rage. He blinked impressed at her actions and turned to face a large group of classmates watching him with death in there eyes. _I really screwed myself over this time…_

**_authors notes_**

Yes, an update two days in a row. I'm going out of town tomorrow so I wanted to finish before then and I kind of left a cliffhanger. I hope you liked the chapter and thought the NaruHina flashback was amusing. There should be a good dose of SasuSaku in the next chapter. So please tell me what you think! It helps me write faster :)


	11. Understanding

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 4**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba: 7**

**InoSai: 3**

**:) ShikaTema: 7**

**Ch. 11 Understanding**

Sasuke glanced down at Sakura in his arms, she wasn't saying a word. She laid still leaning her face against his chest; it wasn't like her. The normal Sakura would complain about being carried or try to convince him she was fine. Sasuke's eyes narrowed a bit as he got closer to the nurse's office; he had a feeling her real wounds weren't physical. A startled woman glanced up from her desk as Sasuke managed to open the door and keep Sakura safe in his arms. The woman with thick glasses immediately stood up in alarm looking at Sasuke's heavily bruised and lightly bleeding body, "What happened!"

Sasuke looked in the woman's eyes, he had completely forgotten about his wounds, "Check her first." The nurse looked down in surprise not seeing a mark on the girl, "Where's she hurt?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed a bit at the memory as he put Sakura on a bed, "She received a blow to the back." The brunette woman nodded fighting her urge to check Sasuke first. Sakura sat dully on the edge of a bed staring at the floor; her mind was too foggy to really hear anything. The woman managed to get Sakura to turn around slightly disturbed by her lack of persona. She placed her hand on the edge of Sakura's shirt but turned to Sasuke first, "You have to turn around."

Sasuke gave a small frown in impatience and did so. Then the nurse lifted Sakura's gym shirt up a little past her bra strap. Sasuke flinched to turn around as he heard a small gasp escape her lips. He shifted awkwardly telling himself not to look but was overtaken by impatience and nerves as the nurse remained tensely silent. Sasuke's black eyes widened as there was a dark red impression, swelling, of Sai's fist just to the side of her spine; it would be bruised for weeks.

The nurse finally got a hold of her shock and yelled at him to turn back around. She gave a small sigh and worriedly looked at the forming bruise; there wasn't too much to do. It took her a few minutes but she put a small layer of gel to decrease the swelling, wrapped bandages around her, and tugged her shirt down. She made Sakura lay down on her stomach and she stood and filled a bag of ice, "Would you like to tell me what exactly happened?" Sasuke took that as his cue to turn around and watched as Sakura flinched lightly at the bag of ice being laid on her back. Sasuke stared at the nurse with a defiant frown.

The brunette nurse gave a small, agitated sigh and told him to sit so she could tend to his wounds, "Whatever you two got into will be heard by the principal later so you might as well say it now." Sasuke avoided eye contact as she cleaned off the small spots of blood, "Then why should I tell it twice?" The nurse's lips curved in an angry smirk, "Because you children need to start telling us adults what's going on so we can help."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "We're not children." The nurse frowned, wrapping his bandages a little too tight, "Young adults, whatever! But you're still minors and can't handle everything yourself no matter how hard you try." Sasuke groaned lightly to himself; she was quite persistent, "An idiot started a fight with me and hit her when she got in the way."

The nurse's eyebrow perked up, "Oh…So he hit a girl? Well that idiot could've broken vertebrae if he was a fraction of an inch closer to her spine." Sasuke's expression darkened; he was going to destroy Sai. The brunette nurse continued treating his injuries as Sasuke glanced at Sakura. It looked like they were making eye contact but Sakura's jade orbs were distant in thought; she wasn't really paying attention to what was around her. Sasuke glanced back at the nurse as she sighed and stood, done treating his wounds. "Well, after you explain to Tsunade I would say it's your option to continue through the day or not."

Sasuke nodded lightly and glanced at the pinkette, "What about her?" The nurse glanced at Sakura too, whose eyes were almost closed, "There's the rest of this class and the next one till you leave so it's probably she rests here and then just stay comfortable when she gets home." Sasuke kept his eyes on Sakura and gave an immediate response, "I'll stay." The nurse nodded not bothering to comment on his attentiveness to Sakura; besides Sasuke really did need to stay. He couldn't skip two days of class in a row.

After the nurse filed her records of the incident Sasuke left and was sent to Tsunade's office. The nurse gathered her things as he left and put them in a medical box. She turned to tell Sakura she had to treat the idiot that hit her but Sakura was far too lost in thought to hear. Sakura's eyes dulled, not noticing the door open and close, she was tired. She was tired of having to deal with Sai again; he broke her heart and then comes back saying he wanted her. She thought he was just being psychotic but to get in a fight with Sasuke over her...she didn't know what to think. To be honest, she was done with Sai. There was no chance of him getting her back now that she finally removed every trace of him from her heart.

But then…then there was Sasuke. Everything was starting to go back to normal but she was still so confused over his reaction to Sasori hitting on her. She knew she was being impatient but the confusion was driving her insane and she wasn't sure how long she could take waiting for him to figure it out. She also didn't want to let the event give her hope when Sasuke wasn't the kind of person to fall in love. Sakura tightened her hand lightly around the fabric of the pillow. _I wonder if I could ever get him to like me…_

**_Principal's office_**

Tsunade signed a few papers while sitting at her desk and glanced dully at some more paperwork for school budget. How she wished for something less boring. On cue of her thought she heard a knock at her door and looked up to see a bruised and bandaged Uchiha. She took that thought back, "Damn it…what'd you do?" Sasuke kept his cold, frowning face on as he shut the door behind him, "Guess" Tsunade glared at him, "Did you and Naruto get in a fight again?"

Normally Sasuke would smirk at the memory of how Naruto could never beat him but he kept the cold look on his face, "Your moronic new student started a fight with me and badly hurt Sakura." Tsunade kicked the inside of her desk and groaned at the problem; this meant so much more paperwork, "Where's Sai and Sakura?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Sakura's resting in the nurse's office and the hell I care about where Sai is." Tsunade frowned and stood giving Sasuke a harsh look, "Don't give me an attitude! Now…where was the fight so I can watch the tapes?"

Sasuke kept a hard face; still annoyed by the whole event, "In and out of the west exit of the gym." Tsunade nodded and pointed at a chair, "Good, now sit. I'm going to go watch." Sasuke growled lightly at he sat down in a comfortable grey tan chair; last time he fought with Naruto it took an hour to get this over with. Sasuke glanced up as he heard the door open again too soon for Tsunade to get back. He cocked an eyebrow as his best friend shut the door and gave a dumb grin, "You look horrible Teme."

Sasuke sighed as Naruto sat in a chair next to him, "What are you doing?" Naruto gave a small laugh, "I'm a witness! Plus I figured I'd get in trouble for punching Sai anyways." Sasuke sighed again and nodded looking out the window, "What happened after I left?" Naruto stared at the ceiling running over it in his mind, "Well Ino flipped out on Gai-sensei about the whole thing, it was kinda funny. Then after standing around confused for a while he made everyone get back in the gym and sit down. He tried to get the story out of Sai but he wouldn't speak. After that I decided to leave the same time the nurse stormed in to yell at and treat Sai."

Sasuke nodded almost wanting to smirk from imagining the nurse telling Sai off. Instead he rolled his eyes to the side of the room where a very unhappy Tsunade marched in. She glared at Naruto for a bit, actually happy she didn't have to go get him, and shut the door. She leaned against the side of her desk, crossing her arms and giving an unhappy look, "I think you two were born to make my life harder."

Naruto gave a small laugh; he couldn't count how many times they'd been in her office, "Sorry Baa-chan…" She gave a sigh and rubbed her temples, "Yeah well violence is violence no matter who started it." Tsunade stared a while at the two best friends trying to decide what punishment to give. She didn't want to suspend them; it was pointless making them miss class for something they didn't start. She tapped her fingers through the tense silence knowing she needed to decide soon before Sai came in; it would pure idiocy to put them in the same room, "You will both participate in our community service project this month and have a week of detention. Naruto that detention will add on to what I gave you yesterday."

Naruto groaned and banged his head on the back of the chair, "But Baa-chan!" Tsunade frowned, "No buts, I could have made it a lot worse, and don't take my lenience as a habit. I just don't exactly blame you for your actions…I might have done the same." The two teens raised their eyebrows. The blonde principal glanced hard at them, "But if you tell anybody I said that I'll have you do community service and detention for the rest of the year!" The boys gave a quick nod and left after receiving paperwork on their punishment.

Sai was later brought in and the two friends went back to class. In the end the gang was filled in on injuries and punishment while Sai was suspended for a week. The last class was dragged out as Sai was sent home and Sakura slept in the infirmary. Hinata was the one to take Sakura home in a rather large car so Sakura could lie down on her stomach and avoid pressure on her back. The pinkette was immediately sent to bed with a fresh pack of ice while Hinata filled Mr. Haruno in on the details over the phone.

Mr. Haruno spent the rest of the day tending to his daughter and unable to help being worried sick. Sakura stayed home the next day after convincing her father to go to work and Ino brought over what she missed in class and the amusing moments she missed that day. Ino said she'd let the secrecy thing go but demanded an earful when she felt better. As a result of her injury Sasuke never came over to work on the project so she could rest and instead spent his time still trying to figure out what was with him.

Sakura spent most of the weekend reading books and watching movies with her father; they hadn't really spent anytime together since they moved. Sakura finally caved and told her father that Sai had followed her here and he was the "unknown boy" that injured her. His reaction was rather dramatic and angry, but at Sai of course. Mr. Haruno knew how cruel their break up was and already wanted to beat him, now he wanted to kill him. After Sakura calmed him down she found his reaction reassuring; he was her only parent left and it was nice to know he was still there for her.

Then the weekend was over and the dreaded day came that Sakura and her father hated to remember.

**_morning_**

Naruto yawned walking in the classroom and set his briefcase on his desk, "I really hate Mondays." Kiba rubbed his eyes, "Me too, Man." Hinata and Ino later filed in and much to Sasuke's notice Sakura wasn't with them. He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Ino, "I thought she was starting to feel better?" Ino nodded and gave an awkward look as her friends awaited for an answer, "She is, but she said she had something important to do today. I couldn't really get any details out of her."

Sasuke's frown deepened; Sakura wasn't the kind of person to skip school. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked at the empty desk beside him; he still hadn't figured anything out yet.

**_Haruno residence_**

Sakura silently ran a brush through her long hair and braided it to the side. She gave a small sigh as she rubbed the wrinkles out of her sleeves black dress. The dress went an inch above her knee and had a silver band around the waist. She looked good in it but how pretty she looked was the last thing on her mind. She put her black flats and silver stud earrings on and walked out the door after grabbing a purse. She tensely walked down the stairs and gave a sad smile at her father's tense body. He was dressed in a dark grey collared work shirt with black pants and shoes. He looked up hearing her walk down the stairs and gave a forced smile, "You ready?" Sakura gave a small nod and took a deep breath, "Yeah, let's go."

Today was the ten year anniversary of Sakura's mother's death; the day her body gave out to cancer. The car ride was about an hour long and it was tense to say at least. Neither of them could help thinking about the pinkette's woman's final days. The days where she was so frail and had no hair left on her head. The days where her beautiful sky blue eyes were dulling. It was the most heart wrenching days of their life; not even Sai's cruel break up could be close enough to top it.

Sakura took a slow breath as they drove past places she used to know so well, the places she used to go with both her parents. Her expression tightened a bit as they passed the stairs to a temple where the Haruno family spent their last New Years festival together; she couldn't believe it had been ten years. Sakura's heart tightened as they pulled up to the parking lot in front of the cemetery. She gripped her hands around the blue irises they bought along the way; it was her mother's favorite flower. Her face tightened as her and her father got out of the car and started making their way up to a spot they remembered too well.

Sakura bit her lip as she stared at a stone grave with a familiar name engraved under a cherry blossom tree, Hanami Haruno. She took a deep breath and laid the flowers in front of the grave, "Hey Mom…" Her father placed a hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to continue. Sakura looked down and fiddled with the end of her braid, "I know it's been a while…We actually moved again to the next town over, pretty ironic huh?" The breeze blew a few cherry blossom petals in Sakura's direction. Sakura gave a small smile, "I'm seventeen now and almost done with high school. Just a little more than a year…I actually like this move the best, I've made a lot of good friends in such a short time. I'm pretty lucky…"

Sakura gave a sad laugh and looked up at her father's withered face. Mr. Haruno took that as his cue, "Hey Honey…I wish you could see how pretty Sakura is, she looks a lot like you now." Sakura's face tightened. "We're doing well; busy as ever…I always keep up with the flower gardens since you liked them so much. I've actually gotten pretty good at cooking too, can you believe that?" Sakura frowned at her father's fake laugh. "I think you would've liked our new home a lot too, it's pretty calm and has a lot of nice scenery."

The remaining Haruno's remained still for a moment and Mr. Haruno patted Sakura's shoulder, "I left something in the car, I'll be back in a few minutes." Sakura smiled and nodded; she knew that was his way of giving her some alone time. She took a deep breath as her father walked away and stared at her mother's name engraved on the stone. She envisioned her mother's beautiful, smiling face and gave a bittersweet smile, "I miss you…You left too soon. You didn't get to be there to help be through my first break up or take me shopping when I was younger…I wish you could help me with a guy I really like right now…"

Sakura's eyes brightened slightly at the thought, "His name is Sasuke-kun, a guy was bothering me the day we moved and he saved me. He always seems to be saving me…I go to school with him too; he's really mysterious and doesn't smile much but he has a good heart. The situation is kind of troublesome right now…but I think it'll be worked out soon. He means a lot to me…I wish you could meet him." Her throat swelled up a little, "It's really hard…not having you around. Dad misses you too. I catch him staring at a picture of you sometimes…he looks so sad."

Sakura gripped the edge of her dress and stared back at the ground, "There's so much I wish I could show you, that you could help me with." Sakura tightened her jaw for a moment, "I try not too, but I get sad whenever I watch a girl walking around with her mother. They seem so happy…" Sakura rubbed her tearing eyes, "But it's okay…I mean, there's nothing I can do so there's no point in getting upset, right?" Sakura rubbed her eyes again as a single tear fell down her cheek, "I'm such a mess…but I'll be okay, I just miss you." Sakura stood up and wiped the grass off her skirt after hearing her father near by. She gave a small smile feeling like there was less weight on her shoulders, "I love you."

**_At school_**

Sasuke fought the urge to yawn as he sat through his last class; they were watching a boring documentary. He glanced back over at Sakura's empty desk for the hundredth time today and deepened his frown; it was boring without her there. Sakura added an extra amount of brightness to his day; just seeing her smile or hearing laugh made his day less dull. It was fascinating how much her personality could make a difference to his day. Sasuke tilted his head as there was a knock on the door. Yamato was told something after opening the door that he couldn't hear but from the stare he assumed it had to do with him. Yamato stared into Sasuke's bored eyes, "Sasuke you have a phone call in the office, bring your stuff."

**_a few minutes before in a distant city_**

Mikoto slid her heels off in the hotel room as her and husband got back from a meeting. She gave an exhausted sigh and sat down on a chair as Fugaku looked through some emails on his phone, "I can't wait till Itachi finishes college and starts doing some of these meetings for us." Fugaku nodded, "If he took his mind off girls for a while he could finish a year early." Mikoto smiled, "Now Now, I don't want him missing the chance of finding me a cute daughter in law."

Fugaku loosened his tie, "I thought you were fully happy with having Sakura as a future daughter in law." Mikoto's smile brightened, "Of course I am but Sasuke is so slow! Besides there's no harm with two of them." Mikoto gave a happy sigh, "To think Sasuke is spending time with my future daughter in law right now…" Fugaku glanced at her mildly amused at her involvement in their son's love lives, "Actually she's probably not at school." Mikoto's smile dropped as she cocked an eyebrow, "Why not?"

Fugaku rubbed the back of his neck, "Her father took the day off work. It's her mother's death anniversary and he wanted to visit her grave; I highly doubt Sakura wouldn't go too." Mikoto gave a small gasp, "And you didn't tell me!" Fugaku raised his eyebrows, "Sorry…" Mikoto stood and paced around the room, "Oh my poor girl, she's probably so upset right now…" Fugaku felt cold sweat on the back of his neck as he saw a spark go through his wife's eyes. "What town are they in?"

He rubbed the back of his neck knowing not to get in the way of whatever she was planning, "I think he said Nagoya, but-" Before he could comment further Mikoto had already dialed her phone with a devious smile on her face, "Hi Shizune, It's Mikoto Uchiha. Could I speak to my son please?" Fugaku sighed and sat on the couch in their massive room rubbing his temples. _Here we go… _

"Hi sweetie, I need you to do me a favor…Yes now…There's a package in Nagoya I need you to get, it's really important…I don't care if you miss class, you need to go _now_ it's critical…What do you mean you have detention?" Fugaku frowned at the statement and her stern voice; his boys didn't get in trouble.

Sasuke sighed on the other side of the line, he could usually hide whenever he got in trouble because they were never home, "Exactly what I said, I have detention…I got in a fight." Sasuke ears tensed at the loud worrying and yelling, "I'm fine, because…He punched a friend…why does it matter?" Sasuke narrowed his eyed at her stern voice he hardly heard, "He punched Sakura…"

Mikoto stiffened as she tightened her fist on the other line, she was going to murder whoever he fought with, "I'll take care of your detention, you just do what I told you and…I'm proud of you. You did the right thing." Mikoto smiled a little at the surprised silence over the phone, "Now let me talk to Tsunade and hurry up, I'll tell you the details later!"

**_in Nagoya_**

Sakura and her father sat in a new restaurant for lunch not feeling comfortable in places they last spent with her mother. Mr. Haruno took a sip of his coffee after handing the menus back to the waitress, "This place is nice." Sakura nodded and glanced around, it had that kind of waitresses on roller-skates feel, just a little nicer. She glanced at a clock; school would be getting out in about an hour. She thought over the last stressful day she went to school…she never found out what the punishments were. Thinking about that made the pain in her back increase.

Today it was just kind of like an annoyance she couldn't ignore but whenever she put pressure on the bruise it hurt horridly. With that in mind she had been leaned over more making sure her back wasn't even close to touching the back of the seat. The long car ride here had really defeated the whole purpose in her taking pain killers that morning. Mr. Haruno frowned fully aware of her uncomfortable shifting, "Does your back still hurt?" He had never seen the severity of the bruise so he was completely unaware it was basically black and would be there for weeks.

Sakura gave a reassuring smile, "Just a little, it's not a big deal." The pain was actually kind of intense but she didn't want to worry her father when it was already such a dreadful day. Lunch consisted of just brief talking they didn't want to mention her mother but it was all they could think about. The cheerful waitress walked up as they were near done with their food, "Does everything taste alright?" They both nodded and Mr. Haruno gave back a nice smile, "Yes it's very good, thank you." Afterwards he soon paid the bill and unsure of what to do.

Her father rubbed the back of his neck, "I was thinking about driving past the old house, maybe seeing how different the neighborhood looks. You could say hey to a few old friends." Sakura smiled, mildly missing her childhood friends, "That's sounds nice but I was actually thinking about walking around town, seeing what I've missed…" Her father gave a soft nod kind of getting the feeling she wanted to be alone, "Okay, well how about we meet back in an hour or so, you have your phone right?" Sakura nodded and they went their separate ways.

It was very awkward walking through a town she used to know by heart, a lot had changed. At some point she thought she recognized a few girls her age in the high school uniform she was suppose to wear if she stayed. She was tempted to ask but decided to let it be; she hadn't spoken to them in years. Her and her father moved away a few months after her mother passed away and after a while in her new home her childhood friends stopped writing letters. Sakura doubted they would even remember her if it wasn't for her pink hair.

Sakura sighed as she continued walking and looked up at the sky; it looked like it would rain soon.

**_a different part of town_**

Sasuke sighed as he parked in front of the store his mother demanded he go to, it was a freaking jewelry store. He sighed stepping out of the car under the graying sky and headed into the store. He was met by polite, smiling faces and many greetings. He nodded and headed over to the front desk, "I need a package ordered by Mikoto Uchiha." The woman a little less than ten years older than him took a full look at him and gave a flirtatious smile, "Can I see some ID first, store protocol." Sasuke fought the urge to groan as he pulled out his license and her smile widened. "Alright, here you go."

She pulled out a box, protectively covered, and handed it to him, "Is there anything else I can help you with Uchiha-sama?" Sasuke purposefully ignored her leaning over the desk and showing as much cleavage as she could, "No" He quickly walked out much to her disappointment and received a few giggles from her co-workers. Sasuke put the box in his car and prepared to leave but was bothered by his hungry stomach. He sighed getting back out after grabbing an umbrella due to the darkening sky and headed to a near by restaurant.

He ate fast taking no interest in staying here longer than he had to; he still had to drive for over an hour to get home. After paying the bill and ignoring more flirts he got up and was perfectly set on leaving, but then much to his surprise he saw a familiar pinkette across the street. He narrowed his eyes as it looked like she was arguing with a brunette and two girls behind her. Sasuke opened his umbrella as he impatiently waited to cross the street, it had started raining.

Sakura frowned narrowing her jade eyes at the girls in front of her, "I don't think that's any of your business Ami." Ami and her two friends laughed; Ami was basically her childhood bully and apparently she couldn't miss out on the chance to pick up her old habit when she saw Sakura's pink head. Ami gave a sly smile, "You know you're right, I shouldn't ask. It's probably hard being reminded of how many guys can't stand to be around you, you're just so ugly." Sakura gave a sick laugh, "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Ami fumed and stomped her foot, "Shut up Freak! You're just jealous, guys _beg _me to go out with them."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure. Now if you don't mind I have more important things to do than catch up with you." Ami gave a haughty laugh, "You're just to chicken to admit how much you idolize me." Sakura sighed, her temper rising, today really wasn't the day. Sakura blinked in surprise as she felt the rain stop falling and the three girls mocking her expressions change. "Is there a problem here?"

Sakura looked up at the familiar voice to Sasuke now sharing his black umbrella with her and glaring at the three girls in front of her, "Sasuke-kun? The three girls automatically went to flirt mode at the breathing taking teen before them. Ami flipped her hair to the side and gave a big smile, "Hi I'm Ami, Why don't you ditch that ugly freak and come spend time with me." Sasuke frowned as Sakura rolled her eyes, "If I'm supposed to ditch the ugly freak wouldn't I be ditching you?"

Sakura held in a small laugh as her old childhood enemy turned red and squealed in anger. Before Ami could scream in embarrassment and anger Sasuke put his arm around Sakura's shoulders and turned around guiding her with him, "Let's go." Sakura's heart started beating too fast from his arm around her to hear Ami's agitated yelling. Sasuke didn't even seem to notice the importance of his arm around her as they walked farther down the street. Sakura blinked and blushed staring at his face trying to figure out the situation, "Sasuke-kun, what are you doing here?"

Sasuke gave a mild smirk, "Should I leave?" Sakura stammered, "N-No, I just…I don't understand why you're in Nagoya." Sasuke kept staring forward making sure not to run in to people, "Had to pick something up for my parents; what about you? You're not the kind of person to skip school." He finally looked down at her noticing that she was now staring at the ground, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head to motion she was fine, "Nothing, I uh…I used to live here when I was a kid. My father and I came to visit." Sasuke watched her for a moment knowing he wasn't getting the whole story but not sure if he should push further, "Any reason why you didn't wait till the weekend?" He could feel Sakura stiffen from under his arm. Sakura glanced at the rain splashing on the side walk; he was bound to find out sooner or later, "We were visiting my mother's grave. It's her death anniversary…"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he stopped dead in the road, losing his hold on Sakura. She looked back at him after taking a step forward and gave a weak smile, "What's with the face?" Sasuke blinked watching the way her eyes gave away her hidden emotions, "I had no idea…" Sakura widened her fake smile, "It's okay, it's not a big deal." Sasuke frowned, it was a big deal. He could tell by the look in her eyes it was a big deal and she wasn't okay with it. He took a step closer so she was back under the umbrella and placed his hand on the top of her head and pulled her into his shoulder, "You don't have smile around me."

Sakura's jade eyes widened and her smile slowly fell. She felt her throat swell up and she narrowed her eyes trying to push the feeling to the back of her mind, it wasn't working. She leaned her forehead into his chest so he couldn't see her face; she didn't like showing her weak side. Sasuke looked forward keeping his hand on her head as he felt her body tense up and his shirt starting to become wet. He wasn't very good at comforting people, that was more of Naruto's thing, but he was doing the best he could.

Sakura's expression tightened as a few more tears fell down her face and she shoved a sob back down her throat; she was so tired. After all these years she still couldn't get over her mother's death; watching her once lively mother wither away to illness would be forever engraved in her mind. Then she also had to deal with all the crap Sai was giving her and the confusion over Sasuke's behavior the other day, it was overwhelming. Sasuke ran his hand through her hair a few times trying to show farther comfort. After a while her body finally relaxed and her face dried. Sasuke watched as she finally lifted her face from his chest and looked down at the ground as she rubbed her eyes, "Sorry…"

Sasuke continued watching her, "It's okay." Sakura gave a small sigh smile, she actually felt a little better, and hoped Sasuke would ignore the red rims to her eyes, "Do you want to get out of the rain?" Sasuke nodded glad she was doing a little better, "You lead the way." They walked almost shoulder to shoulder under the umbrella to a coffee shop Sakura knew but never went in as a kid. They sat in a booth when they got inside, sitting across from each other. Sasuke took a sip of his coffee welcoming the warmth it gave him, "You been here before?"

Sakura shook her head after taking a sip of hot chocolate, "No, I just used to pass it a lot." He nodded, "How long did you live here?" Sakura circled her thumb over her warm cup, "About seven years, from the time I was born till a few months after my mother died. It was the longest I stayed in one place." Sasuke narrowed his eyebrows, "Was it too hard to stay here?"

Sakura stared at her drink for a moment, "I guess, I think my father noticed it more than myself though. We didn't really plan on moving but there was a location transfer at work and he decided to take it." Sasuke gave a slow nod, "It was probably the best thing." Sakura gave a solemn nod in agreement, "Yeah…It was hard being in a place where everything reminded us of her." Sasuke watched as she took another sip of her drink, "Do you mind telling me how she passed away?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment and shook her head, "No…She died of cancer, we found out a little too late. There was still a good chance of her fighting it off but, um...she eventually lost all her motivation." Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Sakura stared at her reflection in her drink; he could tell she hadn't talked about it in a long time. Sakura took a slow breath, "She was pregnant with my little sister when we found out…She uh, lost my sister because of the cancer…She blamed herself for losing her and just…gave up."

Sasuke could feel his heart drop; he had no idea it was so bad. The fact that she was actually keep a straight face while telling the story was incredible. Their attention was diverted as Sakura got a text from her father. Sakura tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "I have to go soon; my father is heading back this direction." Sasuke gripped his coffee cup, "I'll take you home." Sakura looked up in confusion; he was telling her more than offering, "Thanks…"

After Sakura told her father Sasuke would take her, there was a tense silence. Sasuke glanced around for a while and finally noticed Sakura leaning on the table to avoid her back touching anything, "How's your back?" Sakura glanced up at his serious face, "Better, what about you?" Sasuke shrugged, "Just a few bruises, they're almost gone." The conversation continued into Sasuke detailing all the punishments received and he later paid the bill. They soon left due to the long drive and school the next day. The car ride was pretty calm; Sasuke actually made Sakura laugh a few times and by the end of the ride she was in a much better mood.

Sakura took her seatbelt off as Sasuke pulled into her driveway and turned giving him a genuine smile, "Thanks for the ride." Sasuke nodded and he looked back at her, "Anytime" Sakura smile increased as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Thank you for being there for me." Sasuke eyes widened and he felt the back of his neck heat up. He sat speechless as she let go and gave one more smile before getting out of the car. His dark eyes traced her as she walked up to her front door and gave another smile in his direction.

Something stirred in Sasuke and all the wheels turned in his head and his jaw dropped slightly. _I like her…_

**_author's notes_**

So yeah Sasuke finally figured out his feelings. I know the chapter was a little more depressing than usual but there was a happy ending right :) Hopefully you guys thought the Haruno's emotion was really realistic and you liked the added information on Sakura's mother's death. I'll be updating kinda slow again because my art portfolio for school is due soon and I'm really behind but please review and I'll update as fast as I can!


	12. Prince Charming

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 4**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba: 9**

**InoSai: 3**

**:) ShikaTema: 9**

**Ch. 12 Prince Charming**

When Sasuke finally figured out he liked Sakura, it was easy to say, he didn't take it well. The fact that Sasuke Uchiha had actually fallen for somebody was mind blowing and he had no idea what to do about it. The entire drive home his mind was completely blank and he was operating on autopilot. So when Sasuke arrived home and Itachi saw him, it wasn't hard to figure out what was on his mind.

Itachi stared at Sasuke for a good moment as he shut the door behind him. A small smirk slowly formed on his face as Sasuke finally noticed his presence, "You finally figured it out." Sasuke blinked at the statement and his mind started functioning a little more. Itachi's smirk softened a bit, "Are you really that surprised?" Sasuke stood still for a moment and tossed his briefcase on the coffee table; he sat on the couch and placed his face in hands, "When…"

Itachi leaned against the side of the couch, "You can't be sure. I think she grew on you and you fell for her too quick to realize it." Sasuke gave a light groan, he was so confused. He rubbed his temples as glanced at Itachi for a minute, "Why are you here?" Itachi's smirk widened with a confident look in his eyes, "Mother called, she was worried about her 'baby' getting in a fight." Sasuke's expression tightened and he looked up. He tightened his fists and stood up, grabbed his briefcase, and began walking away, "Sorry Mother made you drive by to check on me but I have things to do."

With that the brothers bid their goodbyes and Itachi headed back to college. Sasuke treaded up the stairs with a determined look on his face. He knew now, more then ever, he had to protect her. He understood enough to know he would protect her through anything, and that meant he wouldn't let Sai even think of getting near her again.

**_the next day_**

Hinata fiddled with the end of a curl in her hair. In the process of thinking about what would grab Naruto's attention, she ended up curling her hair that morning. The loose, gorgeous curls were perfect for her long, dark hair and she was actually feeling a little confident about her looks. Hinata turned from looking in the mirror at a knock on her door. "You ready?"

Hinata turned meeting the identical eyes of her cousin. She gave a small smile and grabbed her briefcase with a light nod. Neji always took Hinata to school but rarely home due to intense training under Hinata's father for different parts of the business; Neji was also president of student council and hardly ever had a moment to himself. Hinata glanced at her cousin as they got in the car; she admired Neji greatly but found herself so distant from him at times. She never told anybody, but she was pretty sure he liked TenTen; heck, she was pretty sure they liked each other for years. Neji was just so emotionless on the outside he had trouble admitting if anything bothered him or if he wanted anything.

Hinata gave a silent sigh to herself; she didn't really have the right to talk. Things with Naruto weren't really going anywhere and she was too shy to make a big enough effort to change that. Hinata drummed her fingers on her leg; she was beginning to wish she was like Sakura. Sakura hadn't lived in Konohakagure long but they had become pretty close and she really admired her. She knew everybody had flaws but she felt a little envious of how strong willed and confident Sakura was. Hinata thought if she acted more like Sakura then she would have far less problems staying calm next to Naruto.

Neji slid his eyes towards his cousin for a moment. He easily noticed that she was trying to look nicer than usual today and he was a little curious to why. In the back of his mind Neji knew Hinata had feelings for Naruto for many years, he just refused to accept it. Neji didn't have problems with Naruto as a person but he was so overprotective of Hinata he didn't want any boy near her, and if Neji was that protective he couldn't imagine how much her father would be.

Hinata smiled as they pulled into the student parking lot, she was going to try her best to be confident and impress Naruto today. If she could succeed in doing that maybe she could make it a good habit. She stepped out of the car, letting her long hair sway, thanked Neji like every morning, and began jogging towards the site of pink and blonde hair. Neji kept an eye on his cousin as he locked his car, he was glad to see she was heading towards Sakura. Sakura placed a good impression on him and she seemed like a good influence on Hinata. "Hey Neji!"

Neji turned to look at a pair of brunette buns; he tilted his eyes down and met the beaming face of his close friend. He nodded his head in response and began walking to the school, like every other morning. TenTen always did most the talking and Neji would politely nod and give occasional feedback, that was their morning routine. The two friends tilted their heads as they heard a continuous, pounding against the pavement in their direction. TenTen cocked an eyebrow as their other childhood friend landed immediately to his knees before Neji with his green undershirt hanging out and tears flowing from his eyes, "What's with you?"

"Hinata-san…" Neji immediately narrowed his eyes in concern for his cousin. "Hinata-san's…You must introduce me to Hinata-san's beautiful friend!" Neji blinked for a moment and dropped his jaw, "Huh?"

Lee grabbed one of Neji's ankles and looked up with the most pleading, tearing eyes, "Please! I have never seen such beauty before in my life! I must spend the flame of youth with her!" Neji rubbed his forehead and gave an exhausted sigh, "Who are you talking about?"

TenTen cringed a little as she saw hearts grow in Lee's eyes, "The beautiful goddess with pink hair and green eyes! I must have her!" TenTen paused for a moment and gave a questioning look, "You mean Sakura?" Lee immediately turned to TenTen while clasping his hands together, "You know her!"

TenTen took a step back, regretting saying anything, "Y-Yeah…but I don't know if that's a good idea. I think somebody else likes her too." Lee immediately stood with a serious look on his face, "I will not lose to any other suitor! No matter who it is I will take the challenge and win her heart!" Lee turned his face towards the school as the warning bell rang, "Now! I must find this gorgeous Sakura-san!" with that statement he ran into the school leaving behind a much worn out Neji and TenTen.

TenTen slid a small glance at Neji, "This is about to get really complicated isn't it?" Neji gave another sigh as they started walking, "Yes…yes, it is."

Sasuke gripped his hand against the edge of his desk as he heard familiar giggling from the hall. He looked up slightly with anxiety as Ino, Sakura, and Hinata walked into the classroom. He finally understood what the tightening grip in his chest meant and it scared him. Seeing Sakura for the first time since he realized what he felt towards her filled him with fear. He had no idea what to do and was nervous to be around her. The concept of falling for somebody scared Sasuke Uchiha to no end but the thought of losing her scared him more than being near her.

He had spent the night before making a few phone calls including one to a family member in the police force to do an investigation on Sai. Sasuke couldn't afford letting him get in ten feet range from Sakura now; Sasuke would snap if he tried. Sasuke watched as Sakura gave her hellos to Naruto and the rest of their group of friends; it was mindboggling to look at her now. Everything that ran through his mind and went through his heart, it was just so…different. "Good Morning Sasuke-kun"

Sasuke looked at her with slight nervousness as she sat in her seat; he gave a nod in response. No matter the panic Sasuke had on the inside he still used his talent of keeping an emotional façade. His coal eyes traced over her as she glanced at the front of the room, she was definitely in a better mood than yesterday. Sasuke glanced back up at the front of the room and began drumming his fingers on the desk, he felt ashamed. It was shameful for an Uchiha to be afraid of anything; he needed to face this unfamiliar situation dead on.

While Sasuke was trying to think of a plan Kakashi came in and their first class began. For the first time in a while, Sasuke was not paying attention to the lecture, not that he needed to. Sasuke's intelligence wouldn't falter after one day of being distracted. After a quiet, aggravated sigh Sasuke directed his coal eyes at Sakura, he had to think of something. The unfamiliar situation wasn't going to get any better unless he did something about it. Sasuke's eyebrows rose slightly as he began jotting something down on a piece of paper.

Sakura blinked, averting her attention from the teacher, as a folded note landed on her desk. She glanced around but nobody was looking at her. She did her best to open the note without Kakashi noticing; her jade eyes slowly widened as she read over the black in. _"You missed a lot in chemistry yesterday, I'll teach you after school –Sasuke" _Sakura's cheeks became lightly pink as she took a quick glance at Sasuke's cool expression. She thought about it for a moment and then fought the urge to giggle and roll her eyes. The way he didn't even ask her opinion was just like him, but she would gladly take the chance to spend time with him.

Sasuke glanced down at his desk as the note was tossed back. He quickly read over it and slid it in his pocket and finally began focusing on the lecture. _"Okay" _

The rest of school played out like normal, Sasuke didn't talk much but that was hardly a difference for him. Sakura had to take it easy in gym, received an amusing apology from Gai about the incident with Sai, and before they knew it school was over. Sakura smiled as she stood from her desk and turned to Sasuke, "You ready to go?" Sasuke shoved a few things in his briefcase and nodded. They quietly made their way through the halls, both too nervous to say anything, not that they would show it. Sasuke took calm breaths trying to go over things in his head as they walked out the school doors. "SAKURA-SAN!"

Both teens took a confused turn as a blur ran amazingly fast towards them. Sakura blinked confused as an unfamiliar boy kneeled before her and Neji and TenTen were chasing behind him. "My dear Sakura-san, I have gone through so much heart ache to find you!" Sasuke could feel his body tense up. Sakura raised a confused eyebrow, "Um…Do I know you?"

Her persistent suitor stood, grabbing her hands, and looked her dead in the eyes, "I'm Lee and it would do me the greatest honor to bestow my love upon you for all eternity!" There was a tense silence as a few other students stopped and watched. Sakura stood still processing everything Lee had said. She finally glanced over behind Lee to see TenTen and Neji's apologetic faces, "Um, Lee…I'm sorry but-"

Sakura let a small sound of surprise escape her lips as Sasuke quickly pulled her hands out of Lee's and began leading her away. "Let's go" Sakura stumbled slightly at the sudden movement but went along with him. "Wait right there!" Sakura turned her head but Sasuke continued walking and pulling her with him. A puzzled expression fell on her face as she watched TenTen hold Lee back as he continued spouting things she didn't understand but had to do with wanting to go out with her. "My Love, please don't go!"

Sakura gave a sigh as she turned her face forward to Sasuke's back and decided to figure out what the heck that was later. Sakura glanced down to see Sasuke's hand still firmly held around hers; she gave a small blush wondering if he realized what he was doing. Sakura smiled and decided to just enjoy the moment, "Sasuke-kun, which house are we going to?" Sasuke kept his eyes locked on his car, still trying to shove every thought of Lee out of his head, "It doesn't matter."

Sakura's smile faltered a bit but she was determined to keep it on her face, "Can we go to yours? I really want to study in your mother's garden." Sasuke stopped as they got to his car and narrowed his eyebrows, "You went in the garden?" Sakura gave a bright smile, "Your brother showed it to me." Sasuke was hit with a twinge of jealousy but nodded at her request.

Sakura's smile brightened as they got in the car and began pulling out of the parking lot. The drive was pretty simple, not too much talking but all lead by Sakura. Sasuke could finally look at her smile without getting in a car wreck but he still wasn't the most social person on earth. Once they reached the Uchiha mansion Sakura leaned down to get her stuff and glanced over in confusion to see Sasuke already missing from his seat. She blinked in surprise to find he had opened the car door for her and was waiting for her to get out. She did so, trying to hide her small blush, and smiled as they walked into his home. They were greeted by a butler and soon headed to the garden. Sasuke watched with mild amusement as Sakura ran around to sniff all the different types of flowers before they finally sat under the cherry blossom tree.

Sakura laid on her stomach, propped up on her elbows flipping pages in her chemistry textbook, "So this Kinetic Molecular Theory stuff hardly seems useful to my medical career." Sasuke looked over at her bored expression; Sakura, being the genius she is, easily picked up all the formulas and calculations she missed teaching and had been staring at vocabulary for the past twenty minutes. Sasuke knew she didn't need help on what she missed, he just wanted to use the time to figure out their situation, "Probably not, but it will be on the exam."

Sakura gave a small sigh, she could easily memorize the whole book but that didn't mean she would enjoy doing it. She rolled over on her back and looked through the glass ceiling and the birds flying through the sky, "My dad said he's going on a business trip with your parents." Sasuke gaze immediately focused on her. "He's pretty excited. He said it'll be cool to see how much work it takes to be at your parents' level and experience what the higher ups do."

Sasuke shifted at his parents being called higher up, he knew that in reality his clan had more power than they knew what to do with but sometimes he wished he knew what is was like to be normal. Sakura tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm happy he's excited but it seems like a lot of pressure. I hate the idea of everyone watching every step I make just because I'd be a billion dollar business tycoon." Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. "Everybody would be too busy trying to please me or get something out of me; it'd drive me insane."

Sasuke's jaw went slightly slack as he stared at Sakura playing scenes in her head. Sakura just spoke everything Sasuke felt and hated about being the richest clan in the country; Sasuke realized at that moment that Sakura would never stop impressing him. They sat quiet for a moment until Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed as he played back the conversation in his mind, "So you're staying by yourself?" Sakura glanced backwards tilting her face from her lying position, "Yeah, but don't tell anybody. My dad doesn't want people knowing I'll be alone for a week."

Sasuke gave a slow nod, "Then why'd you tell me?" Sakura gave a small laugh and flipped back onto her stomach and looked at him with a big smile, "I figured you could be my prince charming and save me if anything happens." Sasuke kept the stoic expression on his face, fully aware it was a small joke, "I'll always be there to save you."

The smile fell from Sakura's face to a look of surprise; she expected him to make some comment but not be serious about it. She looked back down at her textbook as her face turned red and gave a small nod; she really needed to stop blushing so easy.

**_nearby apartment complex_**

Sai pushed his food around his plate with a bored expression on his face; he hadn't left his apartment since he got home from school Friday. He had been laying around healing up the beating Sasuke and Naruto gave while repeatedly playing the fight over in his head. Sai still couldn't believe he actually hit Sakura. Despite all stupid things he'd done and the way he made himself appear, he never wanted to hurt her. He rubbed his forehead and sighed at the situation. _I should've never let this happen. _Sai glanced up at a knock at his door; he couldn't imagine anybody wanting to see him. He made haste to the door as the knocking continued and opened it with a careless face. Once Sai laid eyes on the familiar man before him his eyes widened and jaw fell, "Uncle?"

The older man with a cross shape scar on his chin smiled, "May I come in?" Sai's expression immediately darkened, "Why are you here Danzo!"

Danzo frowned and tightened his hand on his walking stick, "Now Sai that's no way to talk to family." Sai's face gained even more hatred, "You have no right to call yourself family after everything that happened."

Danzo sighed, "Yes I realize my cruel actions made you runaway, but I'm here to fix that." Sai's face loosened slightly, "I didn't run away I came to fix what you destroyed, but it seems you made it too late; and if I can't fix what you made me lose then there's nothing for you to fix!"

Danzo's expression darkened, "I'm trying to be nice and you're making it very hard. Unless you want me hurt that girl you think is so special then let me in so we can talk."

Sai's eyes became hard, "There's too many people around to protect her, including me! I advise you forget what you wanted and never come back." With that vow Sai slammed the door in Danzo's face and walked back in to his kitchen. He took a slow, tense breath and threw his plate into the wall letting it shatter. _I will not let you ruin my life again!_

**_the next day_**

"There's a list of emergency numbers, I told a few neighbors to watch out for you, Mrs. Uchiha was kind enough to ask a family member in the force to patrol closer to the house, I'll always have my phone on me, If you ne-"

"Dad!" Sakura's father looked up from their front porch and looked up at her. "I'll be okay, I promise. I'll call everyday and I can take care of myself; you don't have to worry." Mr. Haruno's eyes softened but held their worry. He lifted a hand to Sakura's cheek and looked at her with concern, "I know…You're just all I have."

Sakura's heart clenched and she put her hand on top of her father's, "I know…Which is why I'll be all the more careful. Nothing's going to happen and there's enough to people to help me even if anything did. I'll be okay, _I promise_." Her father took a slow breath and nodded as she handed him his suitcase. Mr. Haruno handed her his car keys as a taxi pulled up, "I'll see you soon." Sakura nodded and waved as he walked to the cab and got in, "Have a safe trip!"

Sakura watched the taxi pulled away and gave a heavy sigh; she totally understood her father's concern but she wished he would stop worrying anyway. Sakura walked back in the house and grabbed her briefcase before going back out, locking the door, and getting in her father's car to leave for school. She told Ino her father was testing out another car since she wasn't supposed to say she was home alone. Sakura pulled out and began driving away but slowed down as her eyes caught a dark blue car on the side of the street two houses down. Her eyes narrowed as she passed it and made quick eye contact with a man she didn't know. She shook her head and kept driving. _He must be visiting a neighbor._

Sakura later pulled into a parking space and started making her way up to school. She gave a small scream in surprise as a boy her age stepped in front of her so quickly she stumbled. She tried to catch herself but was caught by the boy and faced an untucked green shirt. "I am terribly sorry for startling you my love but I could not withhold the urge to speak with you." Sakura recognized that voice as she pulled herself back and out of his arms, "Oh no…"

Sakura's face scrunched up in annoyance and then she tried to push a smile in front of it, "Lee look…" Lee held up a finger to silence her, "My dear maiden please let me speak! From the moment I saw you I've continued to fall so hard in love my pounding heart cannot take it. Please give me the greatest honor of being by your side!" The slightly irritated pinkette gave a small sigh and put forth her kindest smile, "Lee you seem like a great guy and possibly a good friend but I've already fallen for somebody else."

"What?" Sakura turned around to meet Sasuke's blank face. "H-Hey Sasuke-kun, I was just clearing up some things with Lee." Sakura's face ran red hoping neither of them figured out it was Sasuke. Sakura turned back around to meet Lee's tearful face. "Even though your heart may be taken by another I will show you how great I can be too and make you fall for me!"

After Lee's declaration he ran away to go cry to Neji and TenTen leaving Sakura feeling mentally exhausted. "You like somebody?" Sakura turned to Sasuke and tried to think of something, "Uh, it doesn't matter let's just go to class okay." Sakura's heart pounded in nervousness, "Oh look there's Ino! I'm going to go say hey, see you in a bit!"

Sasuke watched the pinkette jogged away and clenched his hand around his briefcase. His face tightened at the thought of him no longer having a chance. He shook his head thinking he should've known better. _A girl like her wouldn't like someone as cold as me… _"Yo Sasuke!" Naruto ran and patted Sasuke on the back; he waited and leaned over waiting for a response, "Dude, what's with the face?"

Sasuke shook his head and started walking, "It doesn't matter." Naruto frowned and watched Sasuke's eyes trace farther up the road to Sakura, "You figured it out didn't you?" Sasuke turned with an annoyed expression, "Figure out what?"

Naruto's eyes widened, "You did! You figured it out about Sakura-chan!" Sasuke's eyes widened and took a step before grabbing Naruto's collar, "Keep your voice down!" Naruto laughed and nodded as he was set down, "So why are you so upset it's a good thing."

Sasuke put his free hand in his pocket, "No…She already likes someone." Naruto's eyes widened as they started walking to the school, "Man, I'm sorry…but hey it could be you!" Sasuke shook his head as he put his emotionless face into perfection, "She wouldn't like someone like me."

Naruto sighed as his pessimism, "Okay you're kind of an ice cube but she seems pretty close to you. Plus you have that whole knight in shining armor thing going on." Sasuke raised and eyebrow. Naruto eyes widened, "Dude! That's what all the girls say okay! I don't go that way!"

Sasuke got a small smirk, "Oh you could've fooled me." Naruto's face turned red, "I swear! If I didn't freak Hinata-chan out so much then-"

"Oh, Hinata? I never thought you liked shy girls." Naruto's face reddened even more realizing what he admitted, "Shut up Teme! J-Just stay out of my business!" Sasuke's smirk deepened as Naruto stared at the ground with a pout. His smirk eased as they walked through the hallways, "I guess we both have girls to work for."

Naruto looked up and thought about for a minute, "Yeah…hey how about whoever get's their girl first has to do the other's homework!" Sasuke rolled his eyes, "No way Dobe, I'm not giving you any chance at screwing up my grades." Naruto growled under his breath, "Fine…how about the loser has to ask his girl out in front of the whole school."

Sasuke thought about it for a moment as they got near the classroom, "Alright, I look forward to seeing you embarrass yourself." Naruto stomped his foot as they stepped in the classroom, "Same to you!"

The rest of the school day Sasuke decided to not let Sakura like somebody get him down and talked to her more with out being too out of character. Naruto tried going more full force spending time with Hinata and resulted in her fainting enough times to the point Ino and Sakura wouldn't let him near her. TenTen and Neji managed to keep Lee away from Sakura for the day after having to listen to him sob repeatedly over a greater rival.

Sakura giggled as Ino, Hinata, and her walked out of the school, "Was it just me or was Naruto being overly friendly today." Ino laughed and gave a nod, "I didn't think he could be anymore loving but he seemed all over you Hinata." Hinata's face lit as she began stammering.

Sakura put a hand on Ino's shoulder, "Easy, she might faint again." Ino giggled, "Sorry but it seems like Naruto might interested in our friend here." Hinata's face became even redder as she though about Naruto and began to stumble at the idea of him liking her. Sakura's eyes widened, "Whoa Hinata!"

She grabbed one arm but gravity went against her as they both began to fall. Sakura was happy to notice they were both caught instead of lying on the pavement; she looked up to see who caught her and gave a small smile, "Thanks for the save Neji."

Neji nodded as Sakura stood on her own and he held his dizzy cousin, "Is she okay?" Ino smiled at his overly protective face, "She's fine, just embarrassed too easy."

Neji sighed in relief as he picked up his cousin from the odd occasion of him driving her home, "I'll be taking her now, have a nice day." Sakura and Ino watched as he easily walked away with his cousin in his arms. Sakura gave a small laugh, "They're so different! He's so tense and uptight." Ino nodded and smirked, "Yeah but at least he's cute."

Sakura thought about it for a moment and shrugged, "Very true, well I'll see you tomorrow." Ino nodded as they parted ways to each other's cars, "See ya!"

Now that Sakura though of it a lot of their male friends were cute, but Sasuke's deep, coal eyes always drew her in. Sakura smiled as she drove away, cranking her music the whole way home. Sakura hummed as pulled in her driveway and got out of the car. Her face dropped into suspicion as the dark blue car for that morning was still there. She watched as the man got out and walked up to her neighbors and decided to let it go and go inside.

After putting her stuff down and making a snack the door bell rang. She jogged over and opened the door with a smile but it easily faltered, "Can I help you?" The suspicious man from the dark blue car smiled, "Yes, Is your father home? I'd like to speak with him about a local governor he might like."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, usually he would be carrying advertisement, "Sorry he's sleeping; he had a long day at work." The shady man nodded, "Of course, when could I speak to him?"

Sakura tapped her fingers on the back of the door, "I'm not sure, his work schedule varies so I'll have to ask you to leave." The man gave a polite nod, "Of course young lady, I'll be back soon."

Sakura quickly closed the door after her goodbye and rolled the feeling of nervousness off her shoulders. _That was weird _

**_a few hours later_**

Sakura peeked through the blinds and gave a relieved sigh to see the dark blue car was no longer there. She just finished dinner and the phone call with her father; she didn't bother mentioning the man or otherwise her father would freak out and come home and it hadn't even been a whole day. She spent the next hour finishing up homework and laid on her couch trying to think of what to do. She tapped her ankle against the couch and flinched as she leaned her back down too much. She slowly sat up and went to the bathroom and lifted up the back of her shirt. She sighed looking at the bruise Sai gave her it went from basically black to dark purple but still hurt pretty bad. Her doctor gave some really good pain medication for her to use but she was still suppose to avoid pressure on it. She pulled her shirt back down and shifted her neck back and forth. She took another dose of her pain medication and decided to go to bed since it made her drowsy.

Sakura's eyes shot open as her alarm went off. She gave a tired sigh and turned it off; after stretching she went about her morning routine and ended up being ready earlier than usual. She decided to go out and get breakfast since her father wasn't home and the locked the door of her house behind her. She did a double take to see if the suspicious man's car was there but it was nowhere in site. She smiled and hopped in her car to turn it on. Sakura frowned as the engine made an awkward sound and wouldn't start. She tried a few more times but the car still wouldn't turn on.

Sakura sighed, got out of her car, and dialed her phone as she walked back in the house. She tapped her fingers as the phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Sasuke-kun, would you mind giving me a ride? The car won't start." She could hear Sasuke moving around over the phone. "Be there in a few minutes."

Sakura smiled, "Thanks Sasuke-kun!" Sakura hung up and glanced around as she waited. Her smile grew as she ran back up stairs and sprayed some perfume on before he got there.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to get there and they decided to not bother looking at her car till later. Sakura lead most the talking like usual and the conversation ended up into studying together the next day and Sakura cooking them dinner. Lee made no efforts to talk to Sakura that morning since Sasuke was with her and much to Naruto's and Kiba's dismay, the majority of the day consisted of pop quizzes and lectures. Sasuke took Sakura home after school and Sakura spent most the time giggling about Naruto's bipolar behavior from all the pop quizzes. Sakura smiled as Sasuke pulled into her driveway, "Thanks for the ride."

Sasuke looked at her smile, "I'll keep taking you till the car's fixed." Sakura paused a moment and her smile grew as she opened the door, "Okay, See you tomorrow." Sasuke watched to make sure she got in the house, smiled lightly, and then began driving away.

Sakura smiled as she locked the door behind her and put her briefcase on the table. She got a class of water after a few minutes and then began to take her books out of her briefcase; she blinked and realized the briefcase wasn't hers. She gave a small laugh as she picked up her phone and dialed Sasuke's number. She walked over and sat on the stairs as she waited fro him to answer, "Hey Sasu-"

Sakura's voice cut off as she heard glass shatter somewhere downstairs. She slowly stood and her eyes widened as she heard rummaging around. "Sakura are you there?" Sakura's breath quickened as she went upstairs quietly as she could. She ran to her room and locked her door behind her, "I-I think there's somebody in my house."

Sasuke's eyes widened on the other end of the line and he immediately slammed on the brakes and turned around, "Sakura stay hidden! Don't try to fight them, I'm on my way!"

Sakura could hear his car engine roar through the phone, "Okay…" Sakura took calming breaths as her heart pounded. She looked around trying to find something to use as a weapon. She picked up a vase, creeped closer to the door, and softly put her ear against the door trying to hear any noises. She narrowed her eyes at the silence and whispered over the phone, "I don't hear anything."

The door was immediately kicked in at her voice sending her colliding into the floor. The phone was knocked out of her hand, tumbled to the corner of the room and the vase crashed the floor cutting her with a few shards. Sakura looked up and screamed as a man in mask jumped for her. She rolled to the side, bumping her head on her bed, and threw her lamp at him.

Sasuke's heart stopped as he heard a scream and something shatter through the phone, "Sakura! Sakura are you okay!" He panicked at the lack of answer and sped even faster, he was only a minute away.

Sakura breathed hard as she got up and tried to make a run for it but screamed as he grabbed her ankle and she tumbled to the ground. She struggled profusely as her vision blurred and he climbed over her; she kicked as hard as she could as he managed to pin her down but it only made him angrier. Her heart sped even faster in panic as he was strong enough to hold both her arms down with only one hand. "Let me go!" Sakura shook back and forth as he rolled his mask up to where she could see his mouth. Tears began to form in her eyes as he gave a sick smirk and spoke, "I'm gonna have some fun with you."

Sakura screamed even louder as he slipped one hand up her shirt and bit her neck. She began crying as she felt him chuckle against her skin and ran his tongue up her neck, "No, get off!". He quickly ripped her shirt open and began running his horrid mouth over stomach and chest. Sakura continued screaming for him to stop as she tried to shove the sobs down her throat. She hiccupped back a sob as he laid himself on her and slipped his free hand up her skirt and placed a kiss on her cheek, "You ready?"

Sakura thrashed against him as hard as she could in panic but was growing tired and began learning it was useless. She bit her lip as he squeezed his hand against her bra and more tears rolled down her cheeks, "Sasuke-kun!" The man laughed at the sob of Sasuke's name, "Sorry Sweetie, you're mi-"

"**GET OFF OF HER!"** The man turned but was too late as Sasuke threw him incredibly hard against the wall. Sasuke tempered boiled over as rage poured from his eyes and he grabbed the man's collar and slammed his head in the window. Sasuke threw the man again furiously into other side of the room; he was so full of hate he didn't hear the man's bones crack and didn't care the man was now unconscious. Sasuke leaned over to begin beating him but was stopped as Sakura threw herself onto his back and held him as tight as she could.

Sasuke turned, put out of his rage, as he saw Sakura gripping to him for dear life and shaking like mad as she cried into the back of his shirt. Sasuke's face softened as he looked down at her; he never thought he could be so happy to see her, "It's okay…" He turned enough for her to throw herself into his arms and begin to sob into his chest. She gripped her arms around him, absorbing the safety of his arms as he hugged her back. Sasuke ran one hand through her hair trying to calm her down as he took a deep breath and he leaned his chin into the top of her head, "It's okay, I'm here."

Sakura nodded into his chest as she continued crying as she began babbling about how scared she was that he wasn't going to make it. Sasuke shushed her lightly as he continued running his hands through her hair, "But I did. I'll always make it in time. I'm you're prince charming remember?" Sakura nodded into his chest as her trembling stopped and her crying began to slow, "Always."

**_author's notes_**

So it was a long chapter but I haven't updated in so long I thought you deserved it. I would've updated sooner but between graduation, work, being sick, and getting in a car accident I've been a bit busy. I hope you liked the chapter; I've planning the end of it for a long time. I finally go to introduce Lee! Danzo will become important later and you'll being to see Sai's not as bad as you think. Please review! I wan to know what you think!


	13. Proximity

**-A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 5**

**InoChou:**

**InoItachi:**

**InoKiba: 11**

**InoSai: 3**

**:) ShikaTema: 11**

**Ch. 13 Proximity**

Sakura tucked the blanket around her shoulders closer to her body and shook her head, "I can take ordinary pain medication later."

The medic that stood before her nodded as Sakura sat on the edge of the ambulance; they already bandaged up the cuts her shattered vase gave her and deemed the bump on her head from hitting her bed had barely broken skin. They also told her that she would be decorated in bruises for the next week but nothing was serious enough to make a trip to the hospital. Sakura looked up as Sasuke stood talking to a family member on the police force; she promised a written report tomorrow since she didn't want to give the details now, just thinking about made her want to cry.

Both Sakura and Sasuke looked over as her attacker was unwillingly being lead to a police car. Sakura's heart pounded as she stared horrifyingly at the familiar face; it turned out after all the supposed politician supporter who parked in front of her house all yesterday was really just watching her. The police also discovered that the wires to her father's car battery had been cut, most likely by him. Sakura body position cowered backwards as the heavily wounded man looked at her with a look of anger then satisfaction.

Sasuke glared deeply at the man as his hands twitched at the urge to continue beating him. The satisfied attacker continued to stare at her as he limped towards the police car, "This isn't the end Sakura."

Sakura's eyes widened; she didn't know he knew her name. She cringed and pulled the blanket wrapped around her shoulders as tight as she could and looked down at the pavement. Sasuke said something sternly to his family member and began walking back to Sakura as the attacker was shoved into the police car. His eyes softened as he looked at her and kneeled down to where he could meet her eyes, "Sakura, it _is _over. It's impossible for him to get anywhere near you from where he's going."

Sakura brought up her hesitant jade eyes to look at his confident face. She gave a small nod and shifted the blanket on her shoulders again. Sasuke took that as the best reaction he could get and stood back up, "You ready to go?"

Sakura looked up at him with curious eyes, "Go where?"

Sasuke's lips curved the slightest amount, "My home, you're safe there while your father's gone."

Sakura's eyes widened; she hadn't said it but she was terrified to stay home alone for the rest of the week but didn't want her father to come home from his trip. She took a slow, deep breath and finally gave a small smile, "Okay…"

Sasuke's lips curved the slightest bit more as he held out his hand to her, "Then let's go home."

Sakura stretched her hand out; entranced by the feeling of warm protection that came when she was around him. He calmly held her hand as she stood and he led her to his car. He opened the door for her as the police and medics got in their cars and began driving away. She sat in his car taking calm breaths as he went to his seat and she leaned back into her seat. She was safe, as long as she was with Sasuke, she was safe.

**_an hour later_**

Sasuke rubbed his temples as he sat on the couch with his phone pressed against his ear.

"Oh my God, Is she okay!? Where is she?!"

Sasuke gave a small sigh at his mother's petrified voice, "Yes, a few cuts and bruises but she'll be fine. She's in your shower so she could borrow some of your clothes." Sasuke could hear a big sigh of relief over the phone.

"Well let her know if she needs anything from me I'll be here…Should I tell her father?"

Sasuke thought about it for a moment, "Let me talk to him in the morning. He'll want to talk to her and she needs some time to breathe."

Mikoto agreed as she stood about fifteen feet from her husband and Seichii Haruno, "I'll have some clothes delivered in her size tomorrow. I imagine she doesn't want to go back to her house to get some."

Sasuke agreed and thanked her, "Well she'll be out soon and I have to order dinner."

Mikoto held her phone tightly in her hand, "Alright, take care of her okay. She really needs you right now."

Sasuke's face became intense, "I'll keep her safe, no matter what."

Mikoto smiled at his response over the phone and bid her goodbye; it sounded like Sasuke finally understood how he felt.

Sasuke hung up his phone and looked up at the door to his parents' bedroom, she was taking a while.

Sakura stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes traced over all the bruises, marks, and cuts left on her. Her eyes hardened as she gripped a hand over the bite mark on her neck. She took a sharp breath and stared at the floor, she could still feel his touch. She cringed and quickly wrapped a towel around her body. She walked out onto the bedroom and walked to where Sasuke said his mother's clothes were. Her eyes scanned over all the clothes, she was desperate to cover any mark he left on her. She settled on a pale blue collared shirt that went mid sleeve and white capris after bandaging the cuts left on her.

She looked in the mirror and quickly buttoned the shirt all the way up. She nervously glanced in the mirror and did a full look at herself. She could still see the bruises on her wrists, two bandaged cuts from the vase, and a bruise from when he grabbed her ankle. She quickly went back to the closet and tugged a red sweater over the shirt and was happy to see it was just long enough to cover her wrists. It would be impossible to cover the bandaged cut on her leg and bruise on her ankle without getting overheated, it was the end of April and Konohagakure was very hot.

Sakura continuously shifted her hands around as she went downstairs and watched as Sasuke hung up the phone. Sasuke looked over at the sound of her footsteps and gave the kindest expression he could, "I just ordered dinner, you like Chinese right?"

Sakura nodded with a small smile as she tugged at her sleeves and sat down beside him. They sat quiet for a moment; Sakura looked up as the butler brought in hot tea and gave her a warm smile. She gave a small smile back and held the cup closely in her hand and pulled her legs up against her body as she sat. Sasuke picked up his glass and looked into her wounded, distant eyes; he frowned. Sakura took a big sip of her tea and embraced the warmth rushing through her; it made her loosen up a little bit.

"I'm having some maids set up the guest bedroom for you. It's right next to my bedroom if you need anything."

Sakura took a slow breath, "Thank you…"

Sasuke nodded and took a sip of his drink, "The room will have everything you need in it."

Sakura clenched her hands around the glasses and shadowed her eyes with hair, "No…I mean thank you…thank you for saving me, thank you for always saving me."

Sasuke heard her voice waver at the end of the sentence.

Sakura's body tensed up, "If you didn't save me I-"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he put a hand on her shoulder, "But I did save you. I will _always _save you."

Sakura took a slow breath and let her body loosen and she gave a small smile. She looked at him with a small blush as her damp hair clung to the frame of her face, "I know"

Sasuke felt a small twitch at his heart but gave a comforting look as she settled into the couch. Sakura gazed around the house, it was very open, "Your house never ceases to amaze me, it must've taken forever to decorate."

Sasuke glanced around his house a little and gave a small nod, "My mother enjoyed it though, she has an eye for design."

Sakura leaned her head back and stared at the high ceiling, she traced her eyes on the detailing, "My mother would've loved this house…"

Sasuke's eyes widened; Sakura didn't like to talk about her mother. He gripped his hand around his cup trying to make the topic natural, "How come?"

Sakura's nostalgic eyes looked at the craftsmanship of the architecture, "She was really artistic…She was a really popular architect before she had me. She would still sell lots of sketches from home though."

Sasuke nodded as Sakura gave a smile. "There's this one drawing of a house she made when I was six; I kept asking to see it so much she gave it to me. I still have it…I decided after she died I'm going to live in that house, that way she's still a part of my home."

Sasuke watched her silently as she smiled at the thought. He watched closer as her smile started to falter; he opened his mouth to say something but the doorbell echoed through the house.

Sakura plastered a big, fake smile on her face, "Oh that must be the food, I'm starving."

Sasuke hesitated a moment but got up and went to the door. He paid the poor delivery guy that was in disbelief at the size of his house and turned back with food in hand. Sakura stood as Sasuke tilted his head in the direction of the kitchen. Sasuke set the food out as the butler set out drinks. Sakura eyed the food as Sasuke opened the containers, "Wow, you bought a lot."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as he handed her a plate, "Wasn't sure what you liked and leftovers keep me from cooking."

Sakura gave a small nod as she put some food on her plate, "You don't like to cook?"

Sasuke walked with Sakura to the table as the butler held out her seat, "I burn anything past spaghetti."

Sakura gave a small giggle as she thanked the butler, "Well good thing I'm here for a few days."

Sasuke gave a small smirk before the room became tense at the reason for her stay. They ate slowly from the avoidance of speaking; neither knew what to say. One of the few maids did the dishes and put away the food when they were done. Sasuke shifted awkwardly in his seat, he wasn't used to having guests. Normally at this time he would be doing homework but he was pretty sure both of their minds were completely worn out. "Do…"

Sasuke tilted his head up at Sakura's hesitant voice. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

Sakura looked at him slowly; it was the only thing she could think of. She smiled when he nodded and stood and led her to a small movie theater in the basement.

**_at the police station_**

Sasuke's relative annoyingly tapped his finger on the metal desk; they still had yet to have the criminal admit to motive or anything. The Uchiha sighed as he gripped the table, "Look, whether you like it or not we will find out everything. It'll only be a few minutes till your fingerprints are processed and we have a jail cell with your name on it! Now, is there still anything you want to say?"

The culprit tilted up his bruised and beaten face, "I'd like to make my phone call."

The policeman gave an irritated look and nodded, "Fine…" He led the culprit in handcuffs to the phone and sat him down.

The criminal watched boredly as one hand was released and the other was handcuffed to the chair. He began dialing as he watched the officer stare at him from a few feet distance. He tilted his head in the other direction as he waited for an answer.

"Report"

The attacker gave a stern look and whispered, "Captured but objective made clear."

There was a short silence over the phone, "Reasoning?"

The criminal touched his swollen face at the memory, "Interference"

There was a small sigh over the phone, "I guess the boy was right about her protection…I'll take care of things just keep your mouth shut."

The criminal gave wide smirk and lowered his voice, "Of course, Danzo-sama"

**_an hour and a half later_**

Sakura giggled as Sasuke turned off the television, they had watched a comedy to lighten the mood. Sakura smiled as she stared at Sasuke, "By the end of the week I'm going to make you laugh! Really, really laugh!"

Sasuke smirked, "Good luck with that."

Sakura pouted; all he did was smirk, never laugh. She stood up and gave her own smirk, "Thanks, but I won't need it."

Sasuke stood and gave a small roll of his eyes and glanced at the clock, "We should probably go to sleep, it's been a long day."

Sakura's expression faltered a little and she nodded, she was exhausted. She followed him up the stairs and watched as he pointed to two doors. "That's your room for the week and that's mine if you need anything."

Sakura gave a quick nod and placed her hand on the door knob and gave her best smile, "Goodnight…"

Sasuke opened his door and glanced at her, he tilted his lips up, "Night"

Sakura shut the door behind her and looked at the massive room; it was decorated in shades of cream and blue. She eyed the clothes sitting on the edge of the bed, they were silk white pajamas. She slipped them on that went to her knee and the sleeves went an inch from her elbow. She shifted in the soft fabric, she felt awkward wearing something so fancy to bed. She shook the thought away, turned the lights off, and got in bed.

She laid there for ten minutes staring at the ceiling; no matter the size or how comfortable the bed was, she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned a few times but still couldn't feel comfortable. She hugged the pillow close to her as she stared at the wall, she felt lonely in the massive bed. She glanced around the dark room, as her heart started to pick up pace, she felt unsafe. Sakura found herself constantly looking at the door and windows worried her attacker would suddenly burst in and finish what he started. She knew him escaping from jail and finding her was impossible but she still couldn't get the thought out of her mind.

She sat up as her heart beat sky rocketed again, she was getting paranoid. She heard a tree shift out the window and jumped. She looked around the room in panic as the wounds left on her started to ache and nerves made her eyes water. She immediately stood up and left the room. Her pace slowed as she got near Sasuke's door. She clenched her jaw as she stared at his door, she felt stupid. She tightened her hands together and looked at the floor. _I'm just being paranoid…_

She looked back at her open bedroom door and tensed. She looked back at Sasuke's door picturing him behind it and raised her hand; she just wanted to see him. Her hand came an inch from the door and her eyes started to water, she was lying to herself. Sakura really needed him to hold her and tell her it was okay again; she really needed him to make her feel safe. She gasped and sprung her head up as the door was swung open with her hand still in the air.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as Sakura looked up at him with surprised, vulnerable eyes. He got up to get a drink because he couldn't sleep and wasn't expecting her to be standing there. He narrowed his eyes at the tears in the corner of her eyes as she began to lower the hand meant to knock on his door. "I-I'm sorry…I, uh, I just wanted…"

Sasuke grabbed the hand she was lowering and pulled her into his arms, "I know…"

Sakura's eyes widened as she was pulled into his chest. Her heart tightened at his words and he placed one hand on her head and one on her back. She took a wavering breath as a single tear slipped down her face and she embraced the safety of his warmth. Her heartbeat calmed down and the paranoia faded away as she listened to his heartbeat. She closed her eyes and leaned against him as he picked her up and sat down on his bed with her in his arms. He rocked her gently while staring at her face, hoping he was doing the best comforting her.

Sakura felt completely serene as she rested against him, she felt safe. Sasuke continued holding her until she eventually fell asleep, he watched her for a moment wondering what to do. Truthfully he couldn't sleep because he was so focused on making sure she was safe but he couldn't see her. He slowly leaned back and shifted to where they both were on the bed and pulled the covers on top. He awkwardly stared at her, not used to being in such a situation, and widened his eyes as she subconsciously cuddled against his chest.

He blinked a few times and looked at her sleeping face. His eyes softened and he wrapped the arm she was resting on around her shoulders. He tilted his forehead on hers and took a slow breath, today had been the first time in years he felt real fear. Nothing could compare to the intense fear he felt after hearing her scream repeatedly over the phone and knowing she was helpless till he got there. Today had also taught him how important she was and that he didn't care who she liked, he was going to win her over.

**_in the morning_**

Sasuke's nose twitched as something tickled it. He opened his eyes and glanced down to see a strand of pink hair on his face; he smirked lightly at the scent of strawberries and lightly pushed the strand to the side. Sasuke looked down to see Sakura laying on his chest and his arm still wrapped around her, he was a little stiff but at the moment he didn't care. He tilted his head to look at the time…school would be starting soon. He pushed the thought aside; neither of them would want to go to school today. He shifted his shoulders just slightly and laid his head back to return to sleep.

**_at school_**

Ino tapped her perfectly manicured nails on her desk as she intently watched the class door. Three minutes till the bell rang and Sakura still hadn't showed up. She nervously tugged at her long ponytail as time ticked away. Ino heard something happened in Sakura's neighborhood so she called to check on her but she didn't pick up. Ino thought Sakura's father was still at home and Sakura would be perfectly safe with him but now she wasn't so sure. She gripped her hands together and took a deep breath as the bell rang, she immediately walked to Hinata's desk, "Have you heard from Sakura?"

Hinata looked up and noticed the pinkette still hadn't shown up, "No…Don't you usually take her in the morning?"

Ino blinked her nervous blue eyes, "Yeah, but Sakura said she had the car for a week because her dad was using a different one and now she's not answering her phone."

Hinata thought about it for a moment, trying not to over think anything, "Maybe she got sick…"

Ino gripped her hand against Hinata's desk and lowered her voice, "Maybe, but…I heard there was a lot of police cars in her neighborhood last night so I got worried and called but she never answered…and now she's not here."

Hinata's lavender eyes narrowed as her heart picked up, "We could ask the school to call her house at lunch."

Ino sighed, not liking the wait, but nodded. She then did a bored glance around the room looking at Sakura's empty seat and narrowed her eyes, "Sasuke's not here either."

Hinata tilted her head and stared at the two empty desks, "That's…a coincidence."

Ino let her heart calm down and gave a small smirk, "I doubt it."

Hinata parted her lips to say something but Kakashi walked into the room and Ino left for her seat. Kakashi pointed out the absence of both Sakura and Sasuke, asking of their whereabouts, later regretting it after gossip started to swirl around the room. A group of girls began making quiet comments to each other about worry and anger of the possibility of the pinkette being with Sasuke. Naruto became so irritated by the chatter that he ended up calling Sasuke at the end of class.

Sakura mumbled as ringing was heard in the corner of the room, her eyes fluttered lightly as she felt something shift under her. She raised her head realizing it was a phone ringing and she was lying on a bare chest. Her cheeks flushed as she sat up and Sasuke carelessly got up to get his phone. Her face deepened in shade realizing where she just spent the night as Sasuke gave an annoyed look at the caller ID before picking up the phone, "Shouldn't you be at school?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he played Sasuke's voice on speakerphone for the whole class to hear, "I called to ask you the same thing."

Sasuke rolled his eyes on the other end of the line and ran a hand through his hair, "Had to do my parents another favor out of town."

Ino leaned over Naruto's phone to ask the question every girl wanted to know, "So you wouldn't happen to know where Sakura was, right?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Ino's voice, "No, why would I?"

Ino's heart faltered a bit at the serious tone he used, "Just wondering…"

Sasuke sighed hearing the hidden concern; "Well I have things to finish if I want to make it back home by the end of the day. See you tomorrow."

With the end of his sentence Sasuke hung up and looked at Sakura's blushing and curious face, "Naruto…"

Sakura gave a small nod and looked down at the sheets. She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear after a small moment and looked back up at him, "You want breakfast?"

**_at school_**

Naruto gave a bored look the rest of his class and shoved his phone back in his pocket, "See everybody, Sasuke's out of town. You can all stop making stuff up and go back to your own little lives."

Majority of the class did accordingly but Hinata and Ino exchanged a nervous look; now they were back to being unaware of where Sakura was. The next class began to drag by as Ino and Hinata became more nervous; they knew Sakura was tough but they didn't know how tough. Ino glanced down at her phone as she sent another text message when the teacher turned around. _Please answer…_

**_Uchiha residence_**

Sakura shifted back and forth in the clothes Mikoto ordered for her; Mikoto wasn't aware of the severity of Sakura's injuries so she did the best she could. Sakura sighed as she wore jean shorts a few inches above her knee and a light, flowy coral top. She put a small silver, beaded necklace from the bag on top and tied her hair to the side of the bite mark. She frowned as she stared at the bruises on her wrists and ankle. Sakura had come to terms with seeing the bandaged cuts her vase gave her; she just hated seeing proof of his touch. She sighed and glanced at the door, knowing Sasuke was waiting on her.

Sakura looked up as she walked out the door and a phone was tossed at her. She caught it on instinct and realized it was her phone.

Sasuke leaned against the upstairs hallway railing, "Ino wanted to know where you were."

Sakura gave a small nod remembering she left her briefcase in his car. She flipped the phone open to see five missed calls and seven text messages; she sighed as she went through her voicemail. She followed Sasuke down the stairs as she frowned at Ino's worried messages and one from her father. She sat on the couch as she sent Ino a message pretending that she had to stay home while somebody came to fix the air conditioning system.

Breakfast went by calmly; Sakura demanded to cook since she would be staying there a while. Sasuke wanted to argue but found the omelets and bacon she made to be very worth it. Sakura helped put away leftovers and stared into his fridge, "You need to buy groceries."

Sasuke shifted his eyes towards her, "Usually one of the maids buys it."

Sakura glanced back at him, cocked an eyebrow, and smiled, "Well were going grocery shopping so I can teach you and so we have enough food."

Sasuke prepared to argue but didn't dislike the idea of shopping with her. He nodded at the idea, "We'll have to go soon so we don't run into people after school."

Sakura nodded, it would be very hard to explain them skipping school and shopping for groceries; it'd be an easy give away that they were living together. Sasuke looked at her and tightened his gaze as he remembered something, "We'll have to go to the police station at some point while were out."

Sakura's eyes widened and hardened as she remember she still had to give a report of her attack. She shoulders tightened, "I need to call my dad too…"

Sasuke nodded and gave a small sigh as he leaned back against the counter, "Do you want to go now? Just to get it over with."

Sakura hesitated a moment and nodded. Sakura went upstairs to borrow Mikoto's grey blazer and put on silver sandals bought for her. To say the ride to the police station was uncomfortable would be an understatement. Sakura was having a minor panic attack in her mind as she thought about running into her attacker and having to relive the horrid memories as she told her story. Sasuke had comforted her before through actions instead of words; he couldn't think of anything to say while driving.

Once they parked in front of the station Sakura was frozen in her seat. Sasuke turned the car off and shifted in his seat to get out but stopped noticing Sakura's frantic state. He frowned as she stared eyes wide as the ground as fear raged through her mind. Sasuke hesitated a moment and placed his hand on hers. Sakura blinked back to reality and looked at him in surprise. Sasuke gave the best reassuring look he could and tilted his head towards the police station, "You ready?"

Sakura's heart tightened in fear but nodded before they got out of the car. They walked closely beside each other as they were escorted through the building. Sakura noticed almost every single office belonged to somebody in Sasuke's family. Sakura's body tensed as they entered a room and were sat down. Sakura took a deep breath and tried to relax. She felt slightly more comfortable being in a standard detectives office instead of an investigation room like she expected.

Sasuke and Sakura turned their heads as one of his relatives walked in with some coffee for all of them. Sakura watched him as he handed them coffee and sat down in his seat. He had long black hair pulled back out of his face, serious black eyes, and was dressed in a grey collared shirt, and black slacks.

The detective folded his hands on his desk, "Sasuke, nice to see you. Sakura, I'm Detective Inabi Uchiha and am the one handling your case."

Sakura gave a small nod as she shifted in her seat. Sasuke glanced at his relative as he searched his eyes; he could tell he knew something important. Inabi tapped his fingers and looked seriously into Sakura's eyes, "Before you start your report there's something I want to go over. Your attacker made his phone call last night and was acting suspicious. We record all phone calls made at the station and it seems that the man was acting upon orders when he came after you."

Sakura stiffened in her seat and Sasuke clenched his hands as they listened for more.

"The phone number was untraceable but he called the man by the name of Danzo. Do you kn-"

The detective cut off his question as her eyes widened and jaw dropped. Her heart pounded in her ears as the name ran though her mind over and over again. Sasuke looked at her in concern as she looked in a state of shock in her seat. He leaned over trying to meet her gaze, "Sakura? Do you know him?"

Sakura sat still for a moment and slowly met his gaze with disbelief drawn on her face, "Danzo…Danzo is Sai's uncle…"

Sasuke's eyes widened and fury burned through his stomach and his heartbeat went up in anger; he was going to _kill _Sai.

**_author's notes_**

I hope there was enough SasuSaku in there for you, the plot is slowly unraveling and you'll find out the truth behind Sai following Sakura in the next chapter. I just moved into college so I'm not sure how often I'll update, but I'll do my best! Please review! I swear it makes me more motivated to update!


	14. Unraveling Truth

**-A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 5**

**InoKiba: 11**

**InoSai: 4**

**:) ShikaTema: 12**

**Ch. 14 Unraveling Truth**

Sakura took deep breaths as she chased after Sasuke who was storming through the hallway of an apartment complex. She watched him in panic as he took urgently fast steps with fury radiating off his face, "Sasuke-kun wait!"

Sasuke completely ignored her as he raced forward, he was beyond angry. His eyes twitched as he found the door he wanted and he quickly banged on it so hard the lock broke and the door creaked open. Sakura gasped in terror as he charged into the apartment and she sprinted in behind him. It all happened so fast as Sai stood from his couch in confusion and irritation before Sasuke plummeted his fist into Sai's face. Sakura screamed as Sai slammed into his coffee table and it broke from under him. Sakura reached for Sasuke's arms and fought to keep him from beating Sai.

Sai blinked in a daze as he felt a searing pain in the back of his head. His dark eyes widened as he saw Sakura trying her best to block Sasuke off from attacking him and the look of beyond fury radiating from his face. Sasuke struggled to move Sakura without hurting her as he glared at Sai and every inch of his body urged to kill him, "What the hell is wrong with you! You can't have her so you get someone to attack her, huh! I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!"

Sakura struggled in a panic to push him back; she didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she should just let Sasuke go and beat Sai for letting such a horrible thing happen to her or to do the responsible thing and let the police handle it. She groaned at Sasuke's overbearing strength trying to push her to the side, but she wouldn't let go. She was in complete disarray until she heard Sai mutter words of disbelief.

"What do you mean attacked?"

Sasuke growled in anger, taking the question as denial, "Don't give that shit! You got your damn uncle to attack her!"

Sakura looked back at Sai in bewilderment as she continued to push Sasuke back and saw a look of genuine horror spread on Sai's face. Sasuke continued to struggle with Sakura until his aggravated mind finally registered the look on Sai's face and the pure horror in his eyes. Sasuke slowly lowered his arms and stopped struggling to fight him. Sakura looked at Sai's face as it crumbled into a pure state of shock, "It wasn't you was it?"

Sasuke eagerly waited the answer as Sai pushed himself off the broken coffee table and weakly shook his head. Sai's face drained the slightest bit of color in his face and his stomach felt sick, "I abandoned my uncle months ago."

**_in another city_**

Fugaku groaned as information was given to him through the phone. His wife had told him of Sakura's attack after they left dinner last night and her father went to his room. He was now aware that Sasuke left with Sakura immediately after her report and was believed to be in pursuit of who was a suspect in arranging the attack. They had sent Itachi after him since his university was closer to the apartment and the detective, their relative, didn't want Sasuke to be charged for anything.

Fugaku leaned back into his chair and looked at the ceiling, he would definitely say Sasuke had fallen for the girl. He frowned as he thanked his relative for keeping Sasuke out of trouble and hung up the phone; knowing that Sasuke had fallen for the girl, he would also say that Sasuke would take out any threat that came to her.

**_in Sai's apartment_**

Sakura sat on Sai's couch applying bandages to his bleeding head as Sai held a pack of ice to his severely swollen and bruised cheek, he was surprised his cheekbone wasn't broken. Sasuke glared at Sai from a nearby wall he was leaning on, he was going to get to the bottom of this. Sakura wrapped the bandages a few more times, "You know…even if you didn't cause what happened, I really shouldn't be helping you."

Sai frowned as his mind traced back to all the stuff he did to her the past week. He glanced over all the visible cuts and bruises on her as she finished treating his head and stood, "I'm sorry"

Sakura's eyes widened as she now stood near Sasuke, "What?"

Sai stared at the floor, "I'm sorry…I'm sorry I dumped you and have been bothering you…I didn't want to."

Sakura's expression twisted into confusion and Sasuke carefully watched Sai. Sakura clenched her jaw and noticed the sincerity in his statement, "What do you mean you didn't want to?"

Sai uncomfortably shifted on the couch, "You know how my parents and brother died when I was young, and then Danzo took me in. He never took much interest in me until I turned thirteen and began making me take combat classes. I never really questioned it, but…he seemed too happy at how good I was at defeating my opponents. I thought he was making me train for my own protection…I should've known better."

Sai's eyes clouded as he gave a miserable sigh, "The longer our relationship lasted, the more I neglected my training. He kept reminding me to focus but eventually became furious with me for spending more time with you. A few days before you told me you were moving…Danzo called me into his office and demanded I never see you again."

Sakura's expression dropped a little as the chain of events began to reveal themselves. Sai lowered his face, "He said if I didn't leave you and make you hate me that he would have you captured and beaten until you couldn't breathe…you moving just made it easier to do what he asked and keep you safe."

Sakura's jaw was slightly dropped and her eyes full of pity and confusion. Sasuke gripped his crossed arms as his hate for the teen was hard to keep. Sai looked up at Sakura with a sad look, "After you left I eventually became so furious with him I cut his guardianship off of me and followed you without telling him where I was going…I knew you hated me, I knew you wouldn't want anything to do with me, so…I was so angry at the situation I tried to force you into loving me again and getting back what we had…I was just so angry that you enjoyed your new life so much I acted the wrong way in trying to get you back…I'm sorry."

Sakura hated it, but she had guilt wrenching through her stomach. Her expression had fallen into pity and she felt so horrible that Sai had to go through so much just because he was with her. She gripped her hands together as she felt the urge to forgive him eating at her heart. Sasuke looked at the ground; he was trying so hard to keep his anger towards Sai, but it was difficult. He grinded his teeth together and looked at the back of Sakura's head, his eyes shifted as her hair fell out of place and he could see the red bite mark on the side of her neck. Anger boiled in his stomach again, "Then why did her attacker call your uncle to report his failure."

Sai's face became stern as his own anger started to form in his heart, "He came here, I don't know how he found me, but he came here. You should have been at school but he was trying to make me forgive him. He threatened to hurt you…I didn't think he was serious…I said you had far too many people to protect you, but…what happened? Are you okay?"

Sakura cringed at the memory but gave a small nod, "Sasuke-kun saved me, I just got tossed around a little…I'm...I'm sorry you had to go through that."

There was a tense silence in the room as all three weren't sure what to say. A moment later they heard a light curse down the hall and looked up as Itachi walked through the broken door looking like he ran the whole way here. Itachi quickly scanned over the room and saw Sai's lightly bleeding head and damaged cheek, "Damnit Sasuke."

Sasuke stared at his brother with confusion, "What are you doing here?"

Itachi took a slow breath and looked at him with an exhausted expression, "Inabi called me saying you stormed out of the police station and looked like you were going to come here and cause some serious trouble."

Itachi looked at the smashed coffee table and gave an aggravated sigh, "I'm sorry for the trouble, we'll pay for the damages. Sasuke, Sakura, let's go."

Sasuke prepared to argue but froze at Itachi's extremely stern face. He frowned and put his hands in his pockets and began to walk towards the door. Sakura hesitated but followed. Sai quickly stood from his seat with a slight bit of desperation in his eyes, "Sakura…"

The pinkette lightly turned and saddened at his hidden desperation. She gave a calming smile and a deep look of forgiveness in her eyes, "I'll see you at school."

Sai's face relaxed as they walked out the door and left him alone. He sighed and sat back down on his couch; there was so much stress lifted off his shoulders. He gave a bittersweet smile, thankful for her forgiveness, but sad knowing her heart already belonged to Sasuke. He stared at the ceiling trying to adjust to the thought; he had the urge to hate Sasuke from taking her but knew he had saved her and would treat her well. He gave another sigh and tapped his fingers on his leg, his face became tense. Now that he was aware of his uncle's crimes, he had _a lot _of work to do.

Sasuke groaned as Itachi continued to lecture him as they walked to his car.

"I mean come on Sasuke! I get your protective, but you could've gotten arrested! You're more responsible than this!"

Sasuke averted his eyes from his brother; he hated being lectured. Sakura walked behind them with slight intimidation, she was doing her best to not get involved in the conversation. Itachi groaned, knowing Sasuke didn't want to listen, "Just go home okay! No more getting involved, the police will handle it!"

Sasuke frowned as he opened his car door, "Hn"

Sakura frowned as he got in the car and shut the door, she turned to Itachi, "I'm sorry, I think he really does listen to you."

Itachi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Yeah, we'll see. More importantly, are you okay?"

Sakura's eyes widened a little, with her jean shorts and see-through sleeves it was obvious she had been in a lot of trouble. She gave a small smile, "I'm alright, being with Sasuke-kun helps."

Itachi gave a small grin back, "That's good to hear," he patted her head, "Take care of him for me."

She nodded and got in the car and they drove off to a nearby grocery store. Itachi sighed and walked to his car, he couldn't imagine how Sasuke must have felt when he was trying to save her. Itachi could only imagine the dire fear and desperation, especially since Sasuke realized his feelings. Itachi got in his car and began to drive back to his university; he almost wished he had a girl like that.

**_half an hour later_**

Sasuke had been utterly silent the whole car ride and continuously mute as they were shopping through the grocery store. Sakura glanced back at him as he pushed the cart down the aisle, she could tell he was bothered, but she didn't know why. She frowned as she placed a package of meat in the cart, she wish she knew what to say.

"Sakura?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she recognized the voice and turned to see Ino and Hinata staring at her in shock from the magazine section. Sakura's heart picked up as she realized her friends were staring intently at her obvious injuries and Sasuke stood beside her saying nothing. Sakura gave a small smile through her extremely nervous face, "Hey Hinata, Ino…what's up?"

Sasuke sighed twenty minutes later as he put more food in the cart while Sakura was off with her friends explaining the situation; he imagined she didn't want to talk about it. He sighed ignoring goo goo eyes he got from a few women in the store, he was nervous. After last night he was starting to be confident in his chance with Sakura but after hearing what really happened between Sai and Sakura he was worried. Sasuke was worried that Sakura would forgive him for everything and go back to being in love with Sai. He couldn't hate Sai anymore, he would've done the same to protect her, but he was still angry with him from thinking that he could take Sakura away from him.

His frown deepened as he turned the corner and put some tomatoes in the cart, he needed to use his time with Sakura wisely. After a few minutes Sasuke gathered more food he assumed Sakura would like and paid before walking out the door. The second he walked out the door he turned his head at the sound of crying. He stood still as he watched Hinata crying in Sakura's arms in sorrow for her friend. Ino held Sakura's hand in comfort with tears in her eyes while Sakura just sat there and smiled saying she was okay. Sasuke searched her face for a minute and for the first time he could tell she was faking.

After Sasuke loaded the groceries in the car Sakura parted from her friends and promised to see them soon. Sasuke silently watched her as she got in the car; she was still keeping that fake smile. Sakura turned to him with a big grin, "What'd you get?"

Sasuke hesitated a moment and handed her the receipt as he pulled out of the parking lot and drove off, he wanted to make her honest with him. The conversation back to Sasuke's house was brief and Sakura never dropped her smile; she kept it going as they shelved the groceries as well. Sakura hummed like she usually did when she was putting her best effort into making herself think she was happy. Sakura would admit that being around Sasuke did make her relax and almost forget but after telling her friends the story and reliving the memories, she couldn't help but be constantly reminded.

Sasuke searched her face, trying to find a way to subtly make her show what she was really feeling. Sakura turned to look at him and felt slightly awkward under his constant stare. She gulped and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Is something wrong?

Sasuke continued to watch her persistent smile, he didn't like it. He frowned as he stared at her; he gripped his hands into fists, "Why do you keep doing that?"

Sakura blinked in confusion and reminded herself to keep her smile, "Doing what?"

Sasuke's expression tightened and he took a few steps toward her, "That! You always smile when you're upset…is it so bad to let people know how you really feel?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she was taken aback by his words; nobody had ever seen past her smile before. Her heart tightened and she tried desperately to keep her smile from faltering, "I'm not upset…And there's not reason to burden others with my problems if I was."

Sasuke frown deepened and he grabbed one of her wrists so she would stare into his eyes, "You're not burdening anybody. You have just as much right to be upset and cry as everybody else. You don't need to fake in front of me."

Sakura's heart tightened as Sasuke's voice became softer at the end of his statement. Her eyes tightened as she stared down at the ground to avoid him from seeing her dropped smile. Sasuke's expression loosened as he stared at her. He lightly brought up his other hand and tilted her chin up so he could see her face. Sakura's expression flinched in sadness as she was forced to look into Sasuke's eyes. Her body began to tremble as she did her best to force back her feelings; it wasn't working. Tears began to force their way into her eyes and slip down her cheeks. Sakura broke the minute her first tear fell into Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke was lightly surprised as Sakura quickly threw herself into his chest and began to cry. He wrapped his arms around her on instinct as her legs gave out and they slid down to sit on the kitchen floor. Sasuke's eyes softened as Sakura gripped her hands in his shirt and let out a few sobs. Sasuke leaned his back against the side of the counter as he held Sakura in his arms and she let out what she had been desperately been trying to hold. Sakura cried over the horrifying moment of being attacked by a man that kept being relived in her mind. She cried over her pity for Sai and feeling like a burden to him and she cried over Sasuke. She cried now realizing how bad she needed him and believing she didn't have a chance because he wasn't interested in dating. Even while she sobbed in his arms over all the punches life hit her with, she believed that his embrace was from pity for his friend.

Sasuke held tightly onto Sakura and slowly rubbed one of his hands up and down her back; Sasuke knew he wasn't good in these kinds of situations, he never knew what to say. Sasuke based his life more on actions than words and he was trying his hardest to think of the best way to act in the situation. Sasuke's expression was probably the softest it had been years as he glanced down at Sakura's miserable state; he just wanted to protect her. Sasuke wasn't a very heart felt person but he wanted to protect her heart from any more pain, he wanted her to stop facing so many struggles. Even with Sasuke's mildly egotistic self-interest in getting what he wanted, he was more concerned in what Sakura wanted. He wouldn't stop trying to gain the chance to win her over but he decided whoever made her happy was the most important thing, even if it would kill him to lose the first girl he cared for.

**_a few hours later_**

Sakura's father sat on the couch in his hotel room with a pale face. He had just finished his phone call with Sakura a few minutes ago and was now aware of her attack yesterday. He leaned his face into his hands and his expression tightened; he couldn't help but think it was his fault. He left his daughter alone, leaving her to protect herself for a whole week. He was determined to go straight home to his daughter but Sakura refused saying she was safe at Sasuke's and didn't want him leaving such a great opportunity. His expression furrowed more, he was absolutely terrified, Mr. Haruno had almost lost the only family he had and he completely blamed himself for it, he left her vulnerable and he would never forgive himself for it.

He tilted his head up as he heard a knock on his door, Mikoto slowly popped her head in. "You okay?"

His expression stayed grim and he glanced at the floor; Sakura said Sasuke's mothers already knew, "Why didn't you tell me the second you found out?"

Mikoto walked completely into the room, shut the door behind her, and leaned on the door, "Sasuke said it'd be better if you heard it from Sakura and I agreed."

Mr. Haruno's eyes tightened and he looked up at her, "So if Sasuke was hurt and I kept it from you, you'd be okay with that?"

Mikoto frowned and glanced to the side with a small sigh, "I suppose not…but she needed time. I couldn't force her to talk about it so soon; she was traumatized, probably still is."

Mr. Haruno buried his face back into his hands, "This is all my fault."

Mikoto narrowed her eyes, "Of course it's not; bad things happen. You had nothing to do with it."

He remained silent as he continued to think over what could've happened to his daughter, his _only_ family. He slowly stood and reached for some complimentary scotch the hotel left, "I think I'm going to go to bed early, I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow."

Mikoto frowned and walked over him and grabbed his wrist holding a glass a scotch. She looked seriously into his eyes, "Think about what you're wife would say if she heard you blame yourself."

His eyes widened slightly as the vision of his gorgeous late wife crossed his mind. He watched Mikoto calmly leave his room and then stared down at the floor. He looked over at the glass of scotch and swirled the liquid in his glass a few times. He sighed and set the glass down and stared out the window, he wished his wife were there to tell him what to do.

**_a few hours later_**

Sasuke breathed slowly as he glanced at Sakura sleeping on his shoulder. Sakura and him worked on homework till dinner and watched another movie afterwards; he assumed she fell asleep from being so worn out during the day. Sasuke slowly tucked her hair behind her ear, his lips tilted up a little as she murmured. He glanced around the room and with a small sigh and decided he should let her sleep in her bed. He smoothly picked her up into a cradle in his arms and began to quietly carry her upstairs. He couldn't help but have a small smirk as she subconsciously nuzzled into his chest as he carried her.

Sasuke smoothly opened the door to the bedroom she was staying in and used the moonlight to maneuver through the room. He stared calmly at her face as he slowly relaxed his arms and placed her body on the bed. He glanced at her for a small moment and decided that he should try sleeping as well. As he tried to move away he blinked at the tug on his shirt; Sasuke glanced back at her and realized she had been holding onto his shirt the whole time. His expression softened and he placed his hand on hers; he rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand until she relaxed and let go. He held onto her hand a little bit longer before deciding it was best he let her be. He quietly stood and began to leave the room after taking a final glance at her face.

"Don't go…"

Sasuke froze at her whisper and his eyes widened. He slowly turned around and narrowed his eyes noticing that she was still asleep. He took a step closer as her face twisted lightly and her hand gripped the sheets. "Please…Mom…Don't go…"

Sasuke eyes widened a little as he realized Sakura was dreaming about her mother's death. He couldn't help but walk back to her as she shifted in discomfort. Sasuke sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her shoulder. Sakura subconsciously reached for his arm as her face twisted in sadness while she dreamt. Sasuke's face saddened and he leaned onto the bed and pulled Sakura into his chest. He brushed his hand through her hair hoping to ease the nightmare she was having, "I'll never leave you."

Sakura's body relaxed a little as her face rested in his chest and she subconsciously embraced the warmth. Sasuke continued to run his fingers through her hair and leaned his chin on her head, his lips tilted up at the smell of strawberries. His eyes were soft as he looked at her; he wanted more then anything to take her troubles away, even if that meant giving her up. Sasuke wrapped his arms closely around her as Sakura laid on him, but for the time being he was going to enjoy the moment he had and worry about trying to protect and win her over in the morning.

**_in the morning_**

Sasuke blinked as sun hit his face through the window. He quietly glanced down to see Sakura still resting on his chest and calmly asleep; he gave a small smile and turned his head to glance at the time. His eyes narrowed…he had an hour till school. He sat there a moment contemplating if he should go or not; he frowned as realized he'd be getting another phone call and suspicion from his class if him and Sakura were absent together again. Sasuke smoothly leaned Sakura off him and slid off the bed. He pulled the covers over her as she nuzzled into the pillow; he knew better than to have her go to school with her cuts and bruises still on her, the last thing Sakura wanted was to be questioned about the incident. Sasuke pulled his phone out from his pocket as he walked to his room for a shower; Sasuke also knew better than to leave Sakura alone, she wouldn't be comfortable alone either.

After showering and a quick breakfast Sasuke went to answer the door and leave for school. He kept a cool look on his face as he opened the door to two worried faces.

"Is she still sleeping?"

Sasuke nodded to Ino and Hinata, he knew they were the best company for Sakura right now. "She's in the closest guest bedroom to the stairs; she didn't tell you what happened at the police station, you'll need to stay calm so she can be when she tells you."

Both girls gave worried but determined nods, "We'll take care of her, just catch up on class."

Sasuke gave a hesitant nod and began to head out the door, "I'll give you copies of notes when I get back."

Both girls nodded and waved as he went and shut the door. They stood there a moment and looked at each other and around the massive house. Ino gave an encouraging smile and glanced in the direction of the kitchen, "Shall we wake up Forehead with breakfast?"

**_at school_**

Sasuke gave a quiet sigh as he sat in his desk at school; He was starting to regret leaving Sakura. He knew she'd be fine but he felt better seeing it with his own eyes.

"Hey Teme, long time no see!"

Sasuke glanced his dark eyes at the blonde sitting on Sakura's desk with an amused look on his face. "I only missed one day Dobe."

Naruto's grin widened, "Oh don't be so grumpy Teme, you know you missed me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and away from the blonde, "You're such a moron."

Naruto snickered at the amusement he took in annoying his best friend. Naruto glanced around the room for a moment and then glanced up at the clock, "The girls are a little late, aren't they?"

Sasuke ignored the comment, preferring not to bring up the situation. As time passed Naruto began to tap his foot in impatiently, he then began to tap his fingers on the desk and nervously frowned as the bell rang, "You don't think anything happened do you? We should call or look for them, this really isn't like them Sasuke. Especially not Hinata-chan, Hinata-chan is a perfect student her father-"

"They're fine! Would you shut up?"

Naruto froze and glance at Sasuke's irritated but perfectly calm composure. Naruto narrowed his eyes, "You know something."

Sasuke avoided eye contact with Naruto, "No I don't."

Naruto stared at him longer, "Yes you do, if you didn't know where Sakura-chan was you'd be concerned and you just said they're fine. You wouldn't say anything unless you knew. Fess up Teme or I'll go screaming down the halls about what you think of Sakura-chan."

Sasuke shot Naruto a sharp glare, "Keep your loud mouth shut; Hinata and Ino are taking care of Sakura, she isn't feeling well."

The blonde stared at his best friend for a moment as Kakashi walked in, "And how would you know this?"

Sasuke glanced back at the board, "Her cars not working, I was going to drive."

Naruto gave a serious smirk as Kakashi yelled at him to get in his seat, "I can tell when you're lying Teme, we'll talk about this later."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto to back in his seat and Kakashi started his lesson. Sasuke rubbed his temples and dreaded their future conversation. _So much for keeping things quiet…_

**_at the Uchiha residence_**

Sakura's eyes fluttered as a deliciously sweet smell infiltrated her mind. She opened her eyes all the way and glanced around trying to remember how she got into bed. She sat up and assumed Sasuke put her there. She curiously got out of bed at the delicious smell, knowing Sasuke could hardly cook. She walked down the stairs becoming even more curious as she heard faint chatter coming from the kitchen. She narrowed her eyes as she walked to the kitchen and leaned her head over to peek into the entrance. Her eyes widened as she saw her new best friends giggling about as they were putting breakfast on the table. Ino easily noticed the sight of pink hair in the edge of her vision and turned with a big smile, "Morning Forehead!"

Hinata turned with her own sweet smile, "Good morning Sakura"

Sakura slowly walked into the kitchen with mild confusion on her face, "Morning…"

Ino did a small spin as she hummed, placing the rest of the food down on the table. She pulled out a chair and patted the top of it, "Come on Sakura, your food will get cold."

Sakura eyed her with mild suspicion but sat in the seat. She glanced over all the food: French toast, freshly cut fruit, blueberry muffins, bacon, and orange juice. Sakura had to admit it smelled absolutely amazing but she still didn't understand what they were doing there. A thought occurred to her as she realized there were plats for only the three girls, "Where's Sasuke-kun?"

Hinata began placing some fruit on her plate. Ino placed some French toast on Sakura's plate and gave a big grin, "What, you miss him already?"

Sakura's cheeks heated up at Ino's joke, "No, I'm just wondering!"

Hinata giggled at Ino getting Sakura worked up, "He's at school and asked us to spend the day with you."

Sakura gave a small nod, it made sense to her. She knew Sasuke shouldn't be skipping school and she could tell why he didn't wake her to go. Her lips tilted down a little as she placed some more food onto her plate, she kind of wished he would've said something before he left. Both Ino and Hinata noticed the slight unhappiness in Sakura's expression and exchanged a glance. Ino darted her eyes around the room trying to think of something to lighten the mood and her baby blue eyes landed on Hinata with a small smirk, "So I think it's official to say Naruto is all over our dear Hinata!"

Sakura's up with a smile growing as Hinata's face became bright red and she looked at Ino in alarmed embarrassment, "I-Ino! What are you talking about!? N-No he's not! You're just making things up!"

Ino giggled at Hinata's utterly embarrassed reaction and took satisfaction as Sakura gave a small giggle as well. "On the contrary, while you were being a perfect little student yesterday I took the time to notice your beloved Naruto was consistently staring at you instead of doing his work."

Hinata's heart pounded as she realized Ino was telling the complete truth, "R-Really?"

Sakura smiled as Ino gave a proud nod, "Looks like Hinata is better off than we thought, but of course with those looks of yours, guys would be begging at your feet if they didn't know your cousin was so protective."

Hinata became extremely flustered again as Sakura put that vision in her head, "S-Stop it! They would not!"

Ino and Sakura laughed as Hinata continued to be overly embarrassed like she always did and they went about breakfast with continuous chatter and laughter. The whole time Sakura was glad that Sasuke had sent them to spend the day with her; she couldn't help but think Sasuke always seemed to know what she needed.

**_a few hours later_**

Ino looked at her tea as she spun it in her glass, "Well this sucks…"

Sakura looked up at Ino from her glass with a nervous look on her face. Ino sighed as she placed her glass down, "Knowing all the crap Sai's uncle put him through is going to make it impossible to keep hating him."

Sakura gave a small laugh, "I know, I feel bad for harboring such anger towards him all this time when he's miserable and was under such control for everything."

Hinata took a small sup of her tea, "But at least he knows you forgive him, that has to mean a lot after all this time he's spent hating himself for having to hurt you."

Sakura nodded, "Yeah…I think it's safe to say we'll ease our way into a good friendship; everything he did to hurt me was actually protecting me so I know he'll do anything he can to keep me safe…I just feel sort of bad for knowing how badly he wants to get me back but I could never give that to him."

Ino shrugged, "There's plenty of people everyday that face the same thing but the sooner they realize they can't have the person they love, the sooner they can move on and find the person they're truly meant to be with."

Sakura nodded and after a moment a smile grew on her face, "I didn't know you were such a love expert."

Ino giggled and her confidence didn't falter, "I've had enough experience with boys over the years to give good advice."

Sakura's smile grew as she held her tea, "Really? Then how come you don't have somebody now?"

Ino gave a proud smile, "I know to be picky with boys; he has to impress me and prove he's better than the rest to have a chance with me."

Hinata giggled, "No suitors have impressed you yet?"

Ino's smile grew as she leaned back in her chair, "They try, but no…I'm waiting for somebody special to come along."

Sakura smiled and shook her head as she relaxed into the comfy sofa, "I look forward to meeting whoever can impress you."

Ino smirked as Hinata giggled, "Don't worry, I'll make sure he's fascinating."

The teens continued to laugh as they went about their conversation and Sakura got a run through of all the boys Ino dated over the years. A positive atmosphere was very easy to keep as they continued their chatter and stories. Sakura was so entertained by her company she was able to completely relax even with the troubles she was facing and would still be facing in the future. Overall Sasuke couldn't have sent anybody better to put her in a good mood and she was very grateful for it.

**_few hours later at school_**

Neji boredly packed his things in his briefcase and the final bell rang and students were released. He glanced over as TenTen stood beside his desk with an eager smile on her face. His eyes narrowed questioning what she wanted. TenTen's grin grew larger as she held her hands behind her back, "I beat you in sparring yesterday, therefore you owe me ice cream."

Neji looked at her with a blank stare, "Ice cream? You picked your reward as ice cream?"

TenTen giggled as she turned her body towards the door, "Of course, it's amazing!"

Neji shook his head but made his way out the classroom door with her, "You can be such a child sometimes."

TenTen took no offense to the comment as she glanced at him with her big brown eyes, "But that's what you love about me."

Neji's stoic expression softened a little; even though she had a sarcastic tone, that really was part of why he liked her so much. Neji was always so rigid and professional, TenTen's playful attitude often helped him relax and take a breather from his stressful everyday life. TenTen was the best part of his life and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't deny that; he only wished that his hard confidence would come into play when it came to her. She was his weakness and there was nothing he could do about it. TenTen glanced around as students made their way out to their cars, "Where's Hinata?"

Neji's face tightened a little recalling how she begged him to let her skip school for Sakura; he still hadn't figured out what to say to her father, "Something happened to Sakura so she's taking care of her with Ino."

TenTen nodded as she got in Neji's car, "Looks like the stoic Neji is soft enough to let Hinata skip school for her friend."

Neji's expression narrowed as TenTen made fun of him, "I still have to make an excuse so her father won't have my head."

TenTen giggled with her usual grin and leaned over to wrap an arm around Neji's neck and used her other to mess up his hair. Neji felt heat in his cheek as her arm was wrapped around his neck pulling his face into her chest and he graciously pushed her away with an embarrassed look on his face as he tried to fix his hair. TenTen's comic grin softened as she watched him, "Don't worry about your uncle, I'm sure it'll work out."

**_at the Uchiha residence_**

Sakura waved as her friends left the house and Sasuke dully stood beside her. Once they left a big smile grew on her face and she jumped to wrap her arms around Sasuke's neck. Sasuke's eyes went wide, not expecting her actions, and he stumbled as he caught her. Surprise was written all over his expression as Sakura lowered her head and looked him in the eyes with a cheerful smile that she rarely gave the past few days. Sakura continued to have her arms around Sasuke's neck and she was so happy it didn't occur to her that his arms were wrapped around her, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Sasuke's expression loosened a little as he looked at how happy she was and he gave a small nod in response. Sakura hopped down and began twirling around the room with a big smile on her face. Sasuke watched her as she spun around and her long hair floated behind her, she was a sight to see. A small smile found its way upon his lips as he watched her act about in joy; he was so happy to see her acting so positive. Sasuke took a step towards her to get her attention, "Let's go out to dinner."

Sasuke froze at the question and her cheeks flared up, she couldn't tell if he meant romantically or not. She watched his expression for any indication but she didn't get any; she crossed her hands behind her back and looked at him with a flustered smile, "Okay"

**_author's notes_**

Since I haven't updated in so long I made this chapter longer than usual. College basically had consumed every moment of my life and I'm finally on break for a month hence my freedom to update and I should get another chapter or two in there before I go back to school but will focus more on What If since it has less than ten chapters left and I'm excited to release the fanfics I've been working on. I'll probably do another Naruto based one but you should get acquainted with Skip Beat, the manga not anime, since there's a lot to read before my fanfic would make sense. Anyways please review, it gets me more determined to update sooner.


	15. Mine

**-A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 5**

**InoKiba: 12**

**InoSai: 5**

**:) ShikaTema: 15**

**FOR MY NEXT FANFIC PICK 1 OR 2! (In reviews)**

**Ch. 15 Mine**

Sakura shifted back and forth in her mint green dress, it was sleeved and went to her knee and had a bow tied around her waist before the fabric became pleated. She had her hair braided to the side where the light purple bruise of her attacker's bite mark was. Her lower legs were still exposed but the cuts from her vase didn't bother her anymore, it was just the bruise around her ankle where he grabbed her, which was mostly covered by the silver mary-jane heels she was wearing. She reluctantly put a pair of Mikoto's silver heart earrings in which seemed the least expensive compared to her massive collection of diamonds and other jewels that made Sakura's eyes go wide. She took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the mirror again and hoped she looked pretty enough to impress Sasuke.

Sakura slowly made her way down the stairs glancing around for Sasuke as her heart was picking up speed. She tried to breath easy once she reached the bottom floor and Sasuke wasn't in sight. She pursed her lips in wait as she wondered what he had planned, all she knew was they were going out to dinner and he told her to dress up; she wasn't even sure if it was a date. Sakura shook her head silently; she highly doubted Sasuke would take her on a date. Sakura paused for a moment as she considered Sasuke's behavior over the past week, he had been very sweet to her…Sakura tried to push the thought away, any of her friends would be that sweet after what happened to her. Sakura's train of thought broke as she heard Sasuke coming down the stairs; her heart immediately pounded at the sight of him in blacks slacks and a navy button up, collared shirt that hugged his muscles nicely and he left the top two buttons open for the tiniest glance at his chest. Sakura's throat felt dry as she swallowed, she was sure he could see her blush.

Sasuke pulled his hands out of his pockets as he stood before her taking in how beautiful she was. He reached a hand out towards her and tried to push forth a nice smile, "Shall we go?"

Sakura's face reddened even more at the sight of his smile; she quickly turned her gaze down with a nod trying to not let him see her blush. She nervously placed her hand in his as he led her out the door and towards his car, she wasn't sure what to think. She breathed slowly trying to steady her heartbeat as she sat in the car and watched as he walked around the car and got in. She blinked as he started up the car and began to back out of the driveway, "So…where are we going?"

Sasuke gave a small smirk that gave Sakura goose bumps, "It's a surprise"

Sakura clenched her hands together on her lap feeling a little nervous; she usually liked surprises but she just wish she knew what Sasuke was planning and what were his intentions. Sakura became even more curious as he was driving a path she didn't recognize; not that she was surprised, she still didn't know the town too well. Sakura glanced over at the sunset glowing through the views between tall buildings, it seemed like they were going down town. She blinked a few times in surprise as they finally pulled up to an elaborate looking restaurant with a man standing outside. Sakura turned her head in confusion as Sasuke stopped the car and tossed the keys to the man before walking over to open the door for her. The restaurant had valet parking, that meant it had to be very expensive. Sakura blushed a little as Sasuke held out his hand to help her out of the car and she did so. She looked around with bewilderment at the elaborate architecture and twinkling lights entwined with the rose vines; she was so enchanted by the beautiful look of the building Sasuke gave a small smirked and placed a hand behind her back leading her to the podium in front of the doors to check in.

The man standing at the podium gave a fond smile, "Ah, Mr. Uchiha it's nice to see you. I have your reservation prepared, I hope you and your date have a nice night."

Sakura's face immediately went red as she prepared to correct him about behind called Sasuke's date but stopped when Sasuke led her into the restaurant not taking any notice to the statement. Sakura glanced at him in the corner of her eye if the fact that she was called his date just didn't bother him or if he was actually taking her on a date. Sakura lost her thoughts of confusion as she entered the restaurant to see a live classical band playing, candles everywhere, and a high glass ceiling that exposed the stars. Her jaw fell in amazement at the tall pillars wrapped in vines and elaborate paintings covering the wall, she had never been somewhere so beautiful. Sasuke continued to lead her to the table his parents always sat at and watched her in the corner of his eye with mild amusement and enjoying the fact that the restaurant pleased her so much.

Sasuke pulled out a chair for Sakura at a slightly more private table from the rest with a gaping window with the view of a park. Sakura blushed and fiddled with the end of her dress as she sat down; she wasn't sure how to take his kindness. Sakura continued to glance around the fancy restaurant as a distraction to not look at Sasuke since she wasn't sure what to say. She took heavy notice that almost every single table was a couple and by appearance seemed to be doing very well with money. That made Sakura question what Sasuke's intentions were even more; she didn't understand why he would want to go to such a fancy romantic restaurant. They could've eaten anywhere ad she highly doubted that Sasuke had any interest in being in a relationship. She took a quick glance at Sasuke as a waiter poured them water in fancy wine glasses, she knew she couldn't stay quiet forever, "Have you been here before?"

Sasuke took a sip of water, "No, it's my mother's favorite restaurant."

Sakura gave a small nod and settled her eyes on looking at the menu, "Everything's so expensive…"

Sasuke heard Sakura mutter under her breath; "Sakura you know very well that money isn't a problem for me."

Sakura's lips tilted down a little, "I know…I still feel bad that you're paying for a fancy dinner."

"I picked the restaurant knowing it's price, you don't need to feel bad."

Sakura watched him for a moment, "Why did you pick this restaurant?"

Sasuke stared into her questioning jade eyes and contemplating answering but was interrupted by the waiter asking for their orders. Sakura felt a little unsettled by the lack of answer as they ordered she knew her question was layered with underlying questions she felt too nervous to directly ask. She cast her eyes towards a few men entering the restaurant and spread out among tables and keeping their sunglasses on even though it was not a brightly lit place. Sakura frowned taking it a little odd but figured they were security for a wealthy person trying to eat here. Sakura drifted the conversation towards things going on in the news or topics involving school; she was too afraid to ask what his intentions were. The conversations was light while they ate their fancy dinner and Sasuke was starting to feel a little irritated with himself for not using his time wisely with Sakura. Sasuke traced his eyes to the side of the restaurant as the classical band slowed their music down into something similar to a waltz. Sasuke stood slowly putting Sakura in confusion as he stood in front of her holding out his hand to her. Sakura's cheeks reddened, as he stared down at her with his deep coal eyes not sure what he wanted. She gulped and slowly placed her hand in his wondering what he was up to. Sakura's nerves picked up as Sasuke was leading her to the center of the restaurant, "Sasuke-kun…what are we doing?"

Sasuke's lips curved up slightly as he led her to a small dance floor in front of the band. He led her to the middle of the dance floor and looked directly in her eyes, "We're dancing."

Sakura cheeks got even redder as he quickly puled her into a proper dancing position and her face was inches from his. Once they began dancing a few more couples joined in making Sakura feel more comfortable since they weren't the center of attention. When Sakura finally became more relaxed she closed her eyes and listened to the classical music she loved and began resting her head on Sasuke's shoulder without realizing it. Sasuke's face softened as Sakura leaned against him; he held every moment with her preciously. They continued dancing silently into the next song and Sasuke stared down at Sakura's pink locks, "You asked why I chose this restaurant."

Sakura's eyes popped open but she kept herself from looking at Sasuke because she was too nervous. She gave a slow nod into Sasuke's shoulder, a little apprehensive to his answer. Sasuke paused a moment working his nerve, "I want to bring you to places like this. I want…to be the only one to bring you to places like this."

Sakura's heart picked up as she was beginning to realize what he was directing the conversation to but she kept telling herself that was impossible. Her mind scrambled for a different explanation but her thoughts broke when she realized with her head against him she could hear his heartbeat. His heartbeat was almost as quick as hers. She took a slow breath and finally got the courage to look up into his eyes hoping that her face wasn't the color of her hair. Her heart pounded even harder as she noticed a softness in Sasuke's eyes that she'd never seen before. _I have to be dreaming…This has to be a dream._

Sasuke took confidence in the way she was blushing and how he could feel her quick pulse where his hand was settled on her back while they danced. Sasuke would never admit it but he was actually terrified, he was leaving himself vulnerable and had the possibility of losing her if she didn't feel the same. Sasuke slowly spun Sakura in the middle of their dance and pulled her back closer to him and looked deep into her eyes, "I want you to be mine."

Sakura's eyes widened and her ears rung as his words were repeated in her head. She stopped dead in their dance from pure shock that Sasuke was actually saying such things to her; she was in so much shock she didn't notice Sasuke was holding his breath for her answer. Sakura parted her lips to say something but was fumbling for words. Her heart finally began to bubble in such an extreme joy that she hadn't felt in a long time. Sasuke's eyes widened in fear and concern as tears slowly started to slip from Sakura's eyes and panic began pacing through his heart. His heart calmed a little as a smile grew on her face that took his breath away and she let out a small giggle and nodded her head. "I'd like that more than anything."

Sasuke eyes remained wide because he couldn't believe she actually felt the same way, "But the guy you like…"

Sakura sniffed as tears of joy continued to slip from her eyes, "It's you…it's been you the whole time."

Sasuke felt a sort of peace settle in him that he had never felt before and his whole body relaxed. A small smile that only Sakura could manage to bring out of him found it's way on his lips and they began to dance again and he gently rubbed the tears off her face. He had won her, he got to have her and he decided he would spend every day for the rest of his life doing everything he could to protect her. He wasn't ever letting her go and he wasn't ever going to let her forget it.

They spent the rest of the night dancing to the classical music Sakura loved and hardly any conversation occurring. They were both perfectly content having each other in their arms and taking small glances into each others eyes. Eventually enough time passed by and a waiter smoothly reminded that they'd be closing soon and no matter how happy Sakura was her heels were starting to kill her. Sasuke quickly paid the bill and held Sakura's hand as they slowly made their way out of the building. Sasuke remained a gentleman and opened the car door for her and reluctantly let go of her hand. He wasn't smiling but there was a consistent slight curve to his lips that you'd have to look closely to see but it'd be unmistakable to anybody close to him that he was very happy. Sasuke glanced at Sakura as he turned the car on, "Let's go home."

**_elsewhere_**

Naruto sighed as he held up his phone against his ear, "So that's what he wouldn't tell me."

Hinata twirled a piece of hair between her fingers with her free hand, ""Y-Yes, but Sakura seems okay…I'm sure s-she'll pull through."

Naruto nodded to himself, "Yeah Teme will take care of her, I guess I can't hate Sai now. He's actually not a bad guy."

Hinata smiled a little at Naruto's considerate attitude, "Yeah…H-He's probably lonely if you think about it."

Naruto's face saddened the slightest bit, "Yeah I feel for they guy…but hey! Now that we know he's actually a good guy we could probably be great friends!"

Hinata expression brightened, admiring how kind Naruto was and how much it made her care for him, "I bet you will."

Naruto blinked over the phone, "Hey! Hinata-chan you didn't stutter! You didn't stutter!"

Hinata's face turned red at Naruto taking so much notice of her habits, "I-I guess I d-didn't."

Naruto began laughing through the phone, "I guess it's too early for you to completely stop. I bet if we talk more I could get you to stop stuttering all together!"

Hinata felt her face completely heat up at the idea of getting to talk to Naruto more. It really was remarkable how much good Naruto did for her confidence, "T-That'd be nice."

Naruto's smile softened as he thought over the chance to get to talk and spend more time with Hinata; he really loved spending time with her. His voice softened and felt warm, "Yeah…it would."

**_on a highway_**

Sakura stared at the edge of her dress and still couldn't stop smiling. The butterflies in her stomach just wouldn't go away and whenever she looked at Sasuke they got even stronger. She still couldn't believe what was happening. She kept waiting to wake up and realize she was dreaming but her time with Sasuke only continued. Her cheeks became red again as they were nearing towards a stoplight and she took a small glance toward him. Her heart picked up pace as they waited at the red light, "Um, when…when did you start liking me?"

Sasuke thought about it for a moment, "I asked myself that many times…you just grew on me and I didn't realize it until after I drove you back from Nagoya."

Sakura nodded and gave a small smile at him, "I still can't believe you like someone like me."

Sasuke frowned at her words and became lightly irritated at the fact she didn't hold herself highly, "You're an amazing person and different than any girl I've ever met, how could I not?"

Sakura's eyes widened as his tone was very defensive over her. She glanced down at her dress and a smile grew on her lips, he really did like her, "Thank you…"

Sasuke nodded lightly as the light turned green and he began pulling out into the intersection, "Don't doubt yours-"

Sasuke's words were cut off as a black SUV came flying into Sasuke's side of the car and the car flipped. Sasuke vision went white as pain began radiating through his body and the car tilted back and forth before steadying on it's tires. Sasuke breathed heavy as his vision slowly began to clear and he saw all the shattered glass and blood slowly seeping through his clothes. He instinctively looked at Sakura who was leaning quietly against her cracked window. Sasuke painfully reached an arm out to her as his vision dazed and shook her to realize her head was bleeding. Sakura slammed her head so hard against the window it cracked and she blacked out. Sasuke blinked through the daze of his pain as figures dressed in black opened her door and unbuckled her from her seat; he assumed they were help, "Is she okay?"

Sasuke sluggish, pained mind began to heighten as the men picked Sakura up and began to run to the SUV that hit them. Sasuke blinked as he realized Sakura was being taken; his heart immediately began to speed in panic and he fumbled to unbuckle himself through the pain radiating in his body, "Wait!"

Sasuke finally unbuckled himself and slammed his body up against his car door that was dented in and keeping him trapped in the car. He cursed as the pain in his arm made him sure he broke something but he continued to throw his bloody self against the car door. He finally got it open as the black SUV sped away with Sakura in it and he stumbled out of the car and fell on the road while civilians began running over to help him. His ears rung with panic as stood and watched the black SUV leave his sight. He breathed heavy in panic and pain as he instinctively tired to run after the vehicle but fell to the hard ground from disorientation and pain. Sasuke's mind scrambled as two civilians tried helping him up and called 911; he kept glancing in the direction where the SUV drove off, "Sakura! Sakura!"

**_half an hour later_**

Itachi slammed his way through double doors as he ran though the clean white hallways and receiving yells to slow down. He breathed heavy from running all the way from his car and through the building as he slammed open a door to find his younger brother fighting with the doctors trying to hold him down.

"Let me go! I need to find Sakura, let me go!"

"Please Mr. Uchiha calm down! You're tearing your stitches!"

Itachi's felt his throat swell up a little seeing that Sasuke was okay enough to fight with the doctors. Sasuke was shirtless, covered in bandages, and an awkward cast up his left arm and even though there was a little blood where he tore his stiches, he was okay. Itachi took a few steps towards Sasuke and put a firm grip on Sasuke's shoulder, "Sasuke calm down. The more you struggle the more time you'll spend here re-mending your wounds."

Sasuke glanced up at his brother ignoring his stern voice, "I don't care! They took Sakura! I have to find her!"

Itachi's eyes widened slightly in panic for Sakura but tried to keep a straight face for Sasuke, "The police are on it, you re-injuring yourself isn't going to help her!"

Sasuke stopped struggling for a moment and glared at his brother, "I let them take her…I promised to protect her and let them take her…It's my fault and I need to save her."

Itachi's heart dropped a little at the devastating guilt he saw in Sasuke's eyes, "You have to heal or you'll be useless in saving her…"

Itachi's heart was crushed even more as Sasuke dropped his head feeling worthless; he had a look of utter misery on his face. Itachi frowned and relaxed his grip on Sasuke's shoulder, "It's not your fault; you're lucky you were even conscious to see what happened. You're _really _lucky Sasuke…you could've died."

Sasuke avoided eye contact; Itachi's words didn't make him feel any better. Itachi sighed and turned to one of the doctors in the room, "What are his injuries?"

The doctor turned her sympathetic gaze away from Sasuke and stared at her medical chart, "He has twenty one stitches for the gashes on his head and face, seventeen stitches on his left arm and chest, six stitches on his left leg, three fractured spots on his left arm, a minor fracture on his left leg, and a minor fracture on the left side of his skull. He only lost about two pints of blood and we gave him some after he went unconscious but he woke up and tore everything off him…"

Itachi gripped his hands together; he knew the injuries weren't even close to as bad as they could've been…to what could've happened. Itachi gave a small sigh and stared hard at Sasuke, "Sorry for the trouble, you can hook him back up till he recovers. He _will _stay here till he's healthy enough to leave."

Sasuke glanced back up and gave a weak glare back at his brother; his devastation was making it hard to argue. He gave snide looks at the doctors as they hooked him back up to the machines and fluids but he didn't make an effort to fight back this time. Itachi watched with concern at Sasuke's miserable state, "I'm going to call Mother and Father, _listen _to what the doctors say."

With a final glance Itachi left the room and finally let the fury show on his face. Somebody had dared to hurt his brother, _dared _to put his little brother's life in danger. He was going to find out who did it and make them wish they were never born. He was also going to beat them senseless in Sasuke's name for touching Sakura. He was going to bring Sakura back to his brother if it was the last thing he did!

**_twenty minutes later_**

Mikoto quickly wiped away a few stray tears from her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at her husband, "But he's alive. He'll be okay."

Fugaku nodded and wrapped his wife in a comforting hug; he was keeping up a strong appearance like usual but when Itachi called saying Sasuke had been in a car accident he had been terrified. Mikoto's eyes began to water again, "But what about Sakura? Nobody knows who took her or where she is, she could be hurt…what are we going to tell her father?"

Fugaku ran a hand through his wife's dark hair, "We'll tell him the truth. We'd be furious if he kept the same information about Sasuke from us…He may fall apart but we're here to pick him up. I swear by the Uchiha name that we'll find her."

Mikoto sniffed and nodded into her husband's chest, "We'll have every connection looking for her. We'll bring her back to safety and into loving arms."

**_somewhere in Konohagakure_**

Sakura stirred at the searing pain at the side of her head. Her eyelashes fluttered and her vision blurred from opening her eyes for the first time since she blacked out. She moaned uncomfortably at a sticky warm substance running down her face. She dizzily opened her eyes and was looking down and saw dark red drops of blood on her dress. She blinked realizing that blood was dripping from her forehead. She instinctively tried to move and treat it but found her hands tied to a bar above her. Her mind started to clear a little as she realized she was tied up and kneeling on cold dirt. Her only source of light was the moonlight from a small window above her. She slowly started to shift in panic but convinced herself to stop and think back to what happened. Her eyes widened immediately as she slightly remembered seeing an SUV driving straight towards Sasuke's side of the car. _I must've hit my head on the window and blacked out…_

Sakura slowly glanced around trying to observe her surroundings in the midst of her underlying panic. She couldn't see anything else in the room since the window above her was the only one. Sakura contemplated screaming for help but assumed she was captured and the only people to hear her would be whoever took her. She trembled in fear and tried to stand up and see if she could loosen her hands but she became dizzy and fell back to her knees. Sakura cursed under her breath, she needed to stop losing blood. Sakura gulped as she looked back out into the darkness of however big the room was…what if somebody was standing there?

Sakura's heart picked up even more in panic as she started to become paranoid of the possibility somebody was watching her; maybe more than one person. She struggled to loosen her hands but the ropes were bound too tight and beginning to break skin. Sakura instinctively whimpered in fear but commanded herself not to cry; crying wasn't going to help her. She took slow breath in hopes of calming herself and settled for still mildly trembling. She tried to focus her vision around the room but her loss of blood made her too dizzy. She decided to speak, but only loud enough for the possible person in the room to hear, "What do you want?"

Sakura cursed at herself for sounding so scared; she needed to stay calm. She repeated the question…still no answer. Sakura let out a slow breath in the comfort that there shouldn't be anybody watching her. She almost screamed as a door about ten feet away opened and a bright light behind the silhouette of a man shone through. Sakura blinked at the intense light and saw five figures walk in, she gulped. They shut the door and she could only hear their footsteps. She tried to breath slowly but she was shaking like mad, "What do you want?"

Her heart jumped at a deep chuckle from the shadows. Her anxiety grew as she waited for an answer. She heard footsteps and the sound of a cane tapping grow closer to her. She held her breath as she saw the silhouette of the man through her blurry vision. She leaned back in fear and he slowly leaned down and met his face to hers. Sakura's eyes widened as the face registered in her mind; her heart began to pound wildly as he smirked at her fear, "D-Danzo…"

**_author's notes_**

Sorry on the wait, college deprives me of sleep, social life, and doing about anything else besides homework. So are you guys happy about the development in SasuSaku? I thought fifteen chapters was about time. But of course the chapter had to have some twist or drama, Danzo being the villain of course. So for you guys waiting on What If, the next chapter is the last so I'm just trying to see what Kishi is doing to end the war and then seeing how that fits in what I want to do: Meaning, you have a wait. BUT! I'll still post this and I already have two other SasuSaku fanfics in the works so I may post it in the wait of right after I finish, but I don't know which one to post first. **SO! FOR MY NEXT FANFIC PICK 1 OR 2! **And please review, it's a big motivation!


	16. Desire to Protect

**-A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 5**

**InoKiba: 12**

**InoSai: 5**

**:) ShikaTema: 15**

**Ch. 16 Desire to Protect**

"D-Danzo…"

Danzo smirked at Sakura's surprise and ran his eyes over her features; he hadn't seen her in person for about five months. Sakura did her best not cringe as Danzo pulled a few strands of hair away from the small stream of blood dripping down her face, "Seems you hit your head hard…but, it kept you from struggling when my men took you so it's quite beneficial."

Sakura narrowed her eyes finding some confidence after building up all the anger she had towards the man, "You're sick, I'll never forgive you after how you treated Sai!"

Danzo paused for a moment and then leaned his face closer to Sakura's, "Shouldn't you be more concerned about you're little boyfriend…He was on the side of the car that my men drove into."

Sakura's eyes widened in alarm; she blacked out at the time and never got to see if Sasuke was okay, "What'd you do to him! He has nothing to do with this!"

Danzo's smirk widened, "Oh don't worry I didn't take him, he's probably laying in a hospital somewhere…Although he did get one of my men arrested so torturing him would be a nice idea…But I must say Sakura I was a little surprised when my men sent me pictures of you two being so close at that restaurant, I didn't think you could replace my nephew so soon."

Sakura's eyes widened recalling all the odd men who came in the restaurant even though it was meant for couples. She clenched her jaw and glared back at him, "_Touch him and I promise you will regret it!" _

Danzo frowned at the fact she was daring to threaten him in her position. He clenched his jaw and smacked her hard enough the side of her neck popped, "You are in no means to threaten me tramp! Just wait till I'm done with you, you'll go from threatening to begging for your life in a second! Besides…there's nothing you could for Sasuke while you're in my grasp."

Sakura slowly moved her face to direct her eyes back into Danzo's; she ignored the swelling pain in her cheek and neck as a small line of blood ran from her mouth, "Maybe I can't do anything for him but you're heavily mistaken if you don't think has many friends and a powerful family to strip your life apart if you touch him…Actually I'm sure they already know it was you who caused the car accident and I bet on my life that they're already hell bent on getting revenge for you hurting him."

Danzo's eyes darkened and he leaned his face away from Sakura and stood straight, "Well…We'll have to see about that…But for now I advise you worry about yourself."

With his statement Danzo backed into the darkness and left the room with all his men. Sakura waited a second after he left and then let her body give into it's exhaustion and lean sideways against one of the posts holding up the bar her hands were tied to. She gave slow breaths and tried to ignore the hot pain from where Danzo slapped her, he probably broke skin. Sakura weakly glanced up at the window above her that was her only source of light and stared momentarily at the stars. _At least let Sasuke-kun be okay…_

**_at the hospital_**

Naruto's feet pounded against the hospital hallways as he ran quickly as he could, barely dodging the people and hospital equipment he passed. Itachi called and told him what happened and for him to keep an eye on Sasuke so he wouldn't do anything stupid. Naruto panted as he ignored yells from staff and bust through the door where his best friend was staying. His eyes nervously settled on the immense bandaging covering Sasuke's body and the awkward cast running up Sasuke's whole left arm. He looked into Sasuke's eyes with concern to see his best friend dully looking at him with enough misery to not even ask him what he was doing there. Naruto gulped and slowly walked over and sat in a chair next to Sasuke's bed, "You don't look that great."

Sasuke cast his eyes away from Naruto, "Thanks for the reminder."

Naruto frowned; he was hoping for Sasuke to make a snide comment at him like usual, "Seems like you didn't suffer as much damage as expected though."

Sasuke remained quiet; he couldn't care less that he could be dead. All Sasuke could think about was how Sakura was taken right in front of him and he couldn't do anything. Naruto's eyes darkened knowing what Sasuke was thinking about, "Hey the fact that you're alive means that you still have the chance to save her."

Sasuke face scrunched up in anger, "Yeah, like my brother is going to let me leave this room."

Naruto clenched his hands together, "Well yeah you need to heal up enough before you can leave but they can't keep you trapped in here for too long…We're going to find her Sasuke."

Sasuke paused for a moment as he thought back to her beautiful face and how she looked when she said she would be his; he didn't know what he would do without her. Naruto's frown deepened but a hint of determination glew in his eyes, "Don't worry Sasuke…I need to grab some people but then we'll save her _I promise_."

**_in a different city_**

Mikoto's eyes filled with worry as Seito's face went completely pale and he stumbled back into a chair. Fugaku did all the talking because Mikoto knew she would cry; she felt like Sakura was her daughter and she couldn't take the fact that she was in so much danger. Sakura's father fumbled for words as the danger his daughter was in racketed through his heart, "We…We…We have to go! I can't be here! I…I can't be here while she's in danger!"

Fugaku put a hand on his shoulder, "I know, I've already arranged for a flight to take us back in an hour. Just pack your things and meet us in the lobby in twenty minutes. I promise I'm doing everything I can."

Seito gave a small and weakly stood; he knew Fugaku had countless connections on the police force and was his bet for finding his daughter, "O-Okay…I'll meet you in twenty minutes."

**_in a different city_**

Naruto banged on a door feeling extremely impatient as he waited for someone to answer. He leaned back and forth on his feet feeling irritated by the importance and prepared to bang on the door again but it was slowly pulled open. Sai stared in confusion wondering the purpose of his visit and was tempted to step back since the last time they saw each other Naruto had punched him quite hard in the face. Naruto's face was extremely serious as he stared in Sai's questioning eyes, "We need to go, the cops might be here soon but I need your help."

Sai's eyebrows furrowed wondering why the police would possibly come to his apartment, "Why?"

Naruto clenched his fist as the whole sickening situation ran through his head again, "Sakura-chan's been taken and we're damn sure it was your uncle."

Sai felt his heart stop as his eyes widened. His expression of shock quickly turned into anger as he grabbed his keys near the door and shut the door behind him, "Let's go."

Both jogged down the stairs trying to get to Naruto's car quickly. Sai felt his palms becoming sweaty knowing what his uncle was capable of, "What exactly happened?"

Naruto frowned remembering the devastated look on Sasuke's face, "Sakura-chan was with Sasuke in his car and an SUV drove into his side of the car so hard Sakura-chan hit her head and was knocked out. Sasuke thought the guys grabbing her were help but they took her in the same SUV and drove off."

Sai felt his temper rise, "Sasuke didn't protect her?"

Naruto shot him an angry glance, "His side of the car was slammed so hard into the car flipped! He's lucky he's even alive and saw her being taken!"

Sai frowned feeling a little guilty he could accuse Sasuke of such a thing…he knew how much Sakura meant to him. Sai bit his lip as they got to the parking lot and ran to Naruto's car, "Wait"

Naruto turned and looked at Sai as Sai ran to his car, "Wait? We don't have time to wait!"

Naruto frowned as he followed Sai to his car and watched as Sai opened the trunk, "What could possibly be so important that we-"

Naruto's eyes widened as Sai lifted the trunks carpet revealing three guns. Sai picked them up and handed one to Naruto before closing the trunk, "We're going up against my uncle…I promise we'll need these."

Naruto held the gun in his hand…he'd never killed somebody before, "Why do you have these?"

Sai frowned as he started walking back to Naruto's car, "My uncle was training me to his dirty work and I didn't realize it till later. I brought some with me when I left just in case he tried to interfere with my life again."

Naruto gave a small nod as he followed Sai. After hearing about Danzo from Hinata he could see the reasoning behind it. He gulped as they got in his car and he gave a small glance at Sai, "I don't know if I can kill someone…taking somebody's life…it just seems wrong."

Sai gave a small nod, he had never killed before either just trained to do so, "Shoot them in the leg it'll keep them from running after anybody but still give enough time to seek help before they lose too much blood."

Naruto gave a hesitant nod as he started up the car and prepared to drive elsewhere. He would do it…he would have to do it…if he had to kill somebody to save his friend he was willing to.

**_police station_**

Itachi paced around the room and stared at Inabi, "How hard could he be to find? Somebody must have seen the SUV driving around, the front should be nicely damaged after they almost killed my brother!"

Inabi sighed as his men kept going through records and street cameras, "Past events show that Danzo has men to do his dirty work. About six suspicious men were spying at the restaurant; if Danzo has at least that many men doing his dirty work then he should have a professional organization of his crimes. Therefore he's been doing this a log time and is very good at it."

Itachi frowned deeply, "What about his nephew? He should be able to help us figure out how to find him!"

Inabi shook his head, "My men just got to his apartment a few minutes ago and he wasn't there. The landlord didn't see him leave but we told her to watch for him coming back and call me immediately."

Itachi slammed his fist against the table, "That also shows we don't have long till he does something else or Sakura is hurt! We have to find her and you know my parents will supply the force with however much money you need to get everyone to find her!"

Inabi nodded, "I know, majority of our force is already working on it. Most of us are Uchiha, Itachi. This case involves family and you know that we'll do whatever it takes to help family."

Itachi sighed knowing his words were completely true, "Just let me know when you hear anything…I'm going to go back and make sure Sasuke doesn't do anything stupid."

Inabi gave an understanding nod; he couldn't imagine what Sasuke was going through right now. He could tell by Sasuke's behavior in his office that he cared greatly for Sakura, "I promise."

**_somewhere in Konohagakure_**

Sakura drifted her eyes around the darkness; judging by the light of the moon shifting she had been awake for around two hours. She tried shifting her hands but the ropes were too tight and she was sure she had broken skin from struggling. Sakura breathed slow as she attempted to stand up; the bleeding from her head had basically stopped but she was still dizzy from blood loss. She closed her eyes until she felt her body stand up completely straight. She slowly opened her eyes and used all her focus to stay balanced as her vision blurred and it felt like the room was spinning. She kept her breathing steady till her vision eased and then glanced at her hands tightly bound with rope to a bar. She frowned as she looked at the fancy knots and irritated tissue around the ropes. She continued to breath steady as she bit down on the rope and tried tugging at it with her teeth. She let a small sound of discomfort emerge from her lips as it felt like the world was spinning again but she continued to tug at the ropes. She was beginning to think she was slowly loosening one part but her dizziness got the best of her and she collapsed back on her knees and threw up from nausea.

She panted as her throat burned and her eyes ached from having such blurry vision. She felt the urge to cry in desperation but shoved the feeling away. She bit her tongue to focus on physical pain and not emotional pain; she refused to cry. Crying wasn't going to get her anywhere. She needed to spend her time trying to think of an escape and she absolutely refused to give Danzo the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She wasn't going to cry till it was tears of joy to see the people she loved again.

With that determination Sakura slowly stood again and made the effort the tug at the ropes with her teeth. It would take a very long time but she would be able to loosen them. Sakura's legs shook wanting to collapse but she kept her determination in her mind. She was going to keep tugging at the ropes till she got free or if she was lucky enough for someone to come find her.

**_elsewhere_**

Naruto quickly knocked on another door with Sai standing firmly behind him. He continued to repeatedly knock on the door till a very agitated face met his. "You better have a damn good reason for being here late at night."

Naruto stared into Neji's eyes with complete seriousness Neji had never seen, "We need your help."

The look on Naruto's and Sai's face kept Neji from telling them to wait till morning and slamming the door "Come in and make it fast."

Naruto and Sai quickly walked in knowing they didn't have to time to wait around. Neji shut the door and gave a heavy stare knowing it was important. Naruto stayed in the hall not even bothering to go to the living room, "Neji you're even better at fighting than me and you're probably a bigger genius than Sasuke. I know this is a big favor but we need your help."

Neji restrained himself from assuring that he was smarter than Sasuke and focused on the fact he could tell they were about to ask him to a dangerous thing, "What do you need?"

Naruto stared deep into Neji's eyes, "Sai's uncle kidnapped Sakura-chan. He's a dangerous man and is the reason Sasuke is in the hospital and could've died a few hours ago. His uncle has been dealing with the police too long and knows how to get around them but they won't see us coming. We have the best chance of saving her and you're skills would benefit our effort immensely."

Neji stood silent a moment taking in the whole situation…Naruto was asking him to risk his life. Neji clenched his jaw and looked at Naruto, "And how do you suppose a group of high school students could do better than the police?"

Naruto clenched his fists, "He won't see us coming! Sai knows how to get to him and we can't just sit around doing nothing! We can't just let Danzo toy around with our friends lives!"

Neji hesitated trying to find his decision but was interrupted. "I'll go"

The three males immediately turned heads to see Hinata standing in front of a door way with an utter look of determination and tears streaming down her face, "I'll help you save Sakura."

Neji expression tightened, "No, I refuse! I won't let you put yourself in danger like that! Your father left me to take care of you while he's gone and I'm not letting you put your life on the line!"

Hinata frowned in anger, "I will NOT sit around while Sakura's life is being threatened!"

Neji's eyes widened, Hinata had never raised her voice or disregarded what she was told. Naruto walked towards Hinata and stared deep in her eyes, "I can't let you come Hinata-chan…I can't put your life in danger like that."

Hinata's anger remained even though Naruto spoke so softly to her, "You expect me to sit around doing nothing while she's in danger and you're out there risking your lives for her? I-I won't stand by!"

Naruto's eyes saddened as he loved her courage but refused to let the girl he cared so much about be put in danger, "Hinata-chan…I know you feel helpless doing nothing but you mean too much to me for me to put you in danger like that. We're really risking our lives here and there's a possibility we could be killed. I refuse to put you in the face of danger…I know you want to fight but I need you to stay. Stay and prepare a warm welcome for when we bring Sakura-chan back."

Hinata stood there struggling to keep her anger going after the way Naruto spoke to her. She could tell he wanted to protect her; Naruto always wanted to protect his friends, but he spoke of what she meant to him and that was causing her heart to flutter away from anger. Hinata's expression loosened as she stared at the face of the person she loved so much, "I have to do something…I don't want to be protected…I..I want to be useful."

Naruto frowned as he realized they were challenging her self worth. He slowly wiped the tears from her face and smiled as he could feel her cheeks heat up, "Okay…I can think of something…but it doesn't involve you coming with us."

Neji's heart pounded as he waited to hear how Naruto was involving his cousin. Deep down he knew how much they cared for each other and he knew Naruto wouldn't put her in danger but he still didn't want Hinata taking part in this, "I'll go. As long as Hinata stays far away from danger I'll go."

Naruto turned to look at Neji and gave a determined smile. He nodded assuring Hinata's safety and looked back at her, "Were going to need your intelligence."

**_at the hospital_**

Sasuke stared blankly at the ceiling as the scene of Sakura being taken played over and over in his mind. He couldn't believe he let her get taken; he would've rather died than her be taken. Sasuke closed his eyes as his expression harshened hoping whatever Naruto had in mind would work. He felt useless just sitting in a hospital bed and not knowing how Sakura was; he couldn't take it. He felt the urge to tear off all the hospital equipment on him again but was stopped as his brother walked through the door.

Itachi recognized the look in Sasuke's eyes, "Don't even think about it."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he gave a small huff in annoyance, "Have they found anything yet?"

Sasuke could tell by Itachi's hesitation what the answer was. Itachi tightened his hand gripping on the edge of the hospital bed, "Danzo is a hard man to track…He's been dealing with the police far too long to let them find him easily."

Itachi frowned as he could see Sasuke's heart rate pick up from the monitor. Sasuke stared hard at his brother, "I can't just sit here Itachi."

Itachi's expression dimmed, "I know…but you also know you'll be hardly of any use if you leave now and can't even walk straight."

Sasuke glared down at all the bandages and cast covering the left side of his body; he couldn't deny the injuries would inhibit him. He cast his glare at the side of the room, "I hope Danzo dies."

Itachi narrowed his gaze, "Sasuke…you can't think like that. That involves murder…He'd suffer more sitting in jail the rest of his life."

Sasuke remained silent at the statement leaving Itachi concerned. Itachi did not want Sasuke to somehow end up in the murder of somebody. Itachi shifted his gaze to the side of the room confirming his resolve; he was going to stop Danzo if it was the last thing he did…even if that meant killing him to prevent blood from being on Sasuke's hands.

**_somewhere in Konohagakure_**

Danzo tapped his fingers on his desk still contemplating what Sakura said; he knew the Uchiha were powerful and it was risky to deal with them. Usually Danzo had somebody planted inside all of the police forces of the cities he did crimes in but he was new to this town and hadn't gotten the chance. He stopped tapping his fingers for a minute, according to his men Sasuke had survived the accident and was recuperating under the watchful eye of his brother. Danzo was beginning to wish his men had killed Sasuke in the accident for being a witness but deep down he feared the Uchiha and knew the family was very protective of each other. Danzo sighed, he really needed to be extra cautious with his plan.

Sakura panted fighting the urge to throw up as she tugged at the ropes with her teeth more. Judging by the moonlight she had been awake for over three hours now and Danzo had yet to come back. She had loosened the ropes but not enough to free herself. Sakura shut her eyes and used all her energy and determination to stay standing as her vision completely blurred and she felt like she got tossed in a tornado. She took slow calming breaths till the feeling passed and she went back to gnawing at the ropes. Sakura was sure she looked horridly pale. The bleeding from her forehead finally stopped but her body didn't have anything to create more blood since she had nothing in her system.

Sakura tugged hard as she could on the ropes noticing the broken skin on her wrists were close to bleeding. They loosened slightly as her stomach argued with her from nausea again and she had to shove the feeling aside with determination. Cold sweat dripped down her face as her body felt completely worn out but she knew she needed to get away from Danzo immediately. Danzo terrified her after knowing just part of what he was capable of but Sakura also hated him with every fiber of her being. Sakura was determined to escape and then bring Danzo to justice and watch him wither away in jail. Sai didn't deserve anything Danzo did to him and she was going to make him pay for hurting Sasuke. But the unfortunate thing was that Sakura's body couldn't take such an attempt. She continued tugging as her vision blurred and just expected to have to close her eyes again but instead her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she finally passed out for over exerting herself.

Danzo sighed as stopped tapping his fingers on his desk before standing up. He glanced at one of the several men in the room, "Let's check on the girl."

Danzo walked slowly with his men still contemplating out the details of his plan pertaining to the Uchiha; he'd need to switch locations within twenty-four hours but he also need to carefully plan moving without getting caught. Danzo had about two-dozen men with him and he needed to make to sure to knock out Sakura before trying to move her; he doubted Sakura could do much in her exhausted state but he wanted to create as little notice of them as possible. Danzo walked in the door with a few men in tow expecting to fine the pinkette glaring at him again but was amused to find her passed out leaning against the bars that held her hands up. He gave a small smile happy not to deal with her complaining and struggling and left the room once more; he couldn't imagine the girl even being close to a threat.

**_at the hospital_**

Sasuke sat with mild irritation as his brother slipped out of the room to get coffee, his brother just wouldn't leave him alone. He quickly shifted his eyes open to find Naruto and Neji slipping through the doors as quietly as they could. Sasuke's face scrunched in confusion to question them put Naruto pressed a finger to his mouth telling him to be quiet. Naruto and Neji carefully removed all the hospital tools off Sasuke except the monitor. Naruto leaned down wrapping one of Sasuke's arms around his shoulders to help lift him up, "You want to do something Teme, then were going to do something. When Neji pulls that heart monitor off we're going to get out of here as quick as we can without catching attention okay."

Sasuke gave a quick nod with full determination driving through his system to find and protect Sakura. Neji quietly counted to three to Naruto and pulled the heart monitor off. By the time the piece of technology rang in alarm they were already out the door. Naruto and Neji both had one of Sasuke's arms around him helping him walk and trying to avoid as much attention as they could; they had less than a minute. Naruto took a deep breath as they got in the elevator and quickly closed the doors as they descended down a few floors, "Ino has the car pulled out front with Sai in it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Ino's driving?"

Naruto rolled his eyes a little and focused on the moment the elevator opened, "Hinata told her and she went on a rant about protecting Sakura and being the get away car while we fight. Got to admit she's a hell of a fast driver though."

Sasuke let the information sink through his mind as the doors opened and they made their way out into the lobby, they also had Sai on their side. Despite all the previous hatred Sasuke was glad to have Sai help them. Naruto gave a mild curse as a nurse looked up at them as they were a few feet from the door. Her expression narrowed and she questioned what they were doing. Neji and Naruto quickly picked up pace and got through the doors as she began to yell for help. They quickly shuffled into the car helping Sasuke and looked up at Ino, "Go, go, go!"

Ino put her foot on the accelerator and let the engine roar as she sped away, "Don't have to tell me."

Itachi walked deep in thought back to Sasuke's room and became immediately alarmed as he heard beeping and nurses crowding around in panic. He accidently dropped his coffee as he darted into the room and looked around to find his brother nowhere in sight. Itachi's face harshened and he clenched his jaw, "That idiot!"

Sasuke sat still in the back of Ino's car as she drove out of the hospital lot and onto the highway; he was going to save her. _I'm coming Sakura…_

**_author's notes_**

So how's that for two updates in one day? What If finale and some drama in this. Hope this was decently realistic and you guys enjoyed the chapter, the next chapter will have some action going down. I'll think I'll continue this after the Danzo stuff is done and then bring some Karin drama in, but not sure could be done in a few chapters. Please let me know what you think and reviews really encourage me! I've decided to start responding to reviews to show you how important you are and encourage you all to review more to encourage me to write. So! A review would be great and I will now be responding to anything you say so please review!


	17. Fight for Survival

**-A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**ShikaIno: 5**

**InoKiba: 12**

**InoSai: 5**

**:) ShikaTema: 15**

**Talk of sequel or ending fanfic in author's comments!**

**Ch. 17 Fight for Survival**

Sasuke stared intently at the road as Ino sped down the highway. They ended up using Neji's car since both Naruto's and Ino's were a very noticeable color and would attract too much attention. Sai sat up front in the seat beside Ino as Sasuke sat between Neji and Naruto in the back row. Ino had her phone hooked up to the car and had the phone call loud enough for everyone to hear, "You get in?"

Everyone could hear Hinata shuffling from the other side of the line. Hinata had gone to Hyugga headquarters to look at an advanced mapping system that would help them track down Danzo. "I'm in, what should I be looking for?"

Sai let all of his uncle's habits and lessons run through his mind, "Narrow down all the buildings to abandoned spaces then only select buildings with one floor level."

Danzo had taught him higher floors could lead to an ambush from above and an easier escape was always made with one floor and a select amount of entrances. Hinata's typing could be heard through the line as she stared intently at the screen, "There are four locations left."

Sai narrowed his eyes, "The location should have at least no residential spaces for a mile radius so gunshots can't be heard and have no more than five entrances."

Everyone glanced at Sai feeling quite impressed by his knowledge and hopeful for Hinata's next answer. "Got it! It's a small abandoned factory a few miles off the highway."

Ino's grinned speeding her car up, "Hell yes, Gimme the address!"

Sasuke's face tensed, "Hinata"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke noticing his tense voice. "Yes?"

Sasuke ignored the pain swelling from his injuries, "I want you to go to the police station and give them the address exactly fifteen minutes after we get there."

The car stayed silent a moment thinking through how much danger they were putting themselves in and how there was a chance somebody might not make it out. Hinata was tense on the other line and clenched her hands together hoping for their safety, "I understand…Here's the address…"

**_elsewhere_**

Mikoto sat quietly on the private jet and glanced at Sakura's father, he looked terrible. He was hunched over in his seat with his face in his hands; he had looked like a complete wreck since they met him in the lobby. Sakura was all he had left and she would possibly be taken from him forever. Mikoto could tell if he lost Sakura he would never get past it…he would be at a complete loss. Mikoto watched as her husband put a hand on the poor man's shoulder and handed him a glass of scotch. "I know it's hard but try to be relaxed, we'll be landing in a few minutes."

Seito gave a small nod with his agonized his face and drank from the glass. He would do anything, absolutely anything to his daughter back safe and sound.

**_at the edge of Konohagakure_**

Ino brought the car to a quiet stop as she hid the car behind a building and could see a silhouette of a man passing by the window of the abandoned factory, "They're in there alright."

Everyone remained tense in the car as they were finally facing the moment of danger. It was still dark out but the sun would be rising any minute and they needed to be on the move. Sai's expression was harsh as he thought over facing his uncle again but couldn't help but be glad he had gone through training since it was about to become so useful. Sai took a small glance at Ino and motioned for the rest of the guys to get out of the car; Ino had no idea they had guns. The guys quietly shuffled out of the car and stood behind the car prepared to go over a plan. Sasuke watched as Sai opened Ino's trunk and pulled a weird contraption. Sai leaned down and began attaching it to Sasuke's injured leg, "This will keep your leg up straight so you can still move around quickly; it'll help keep your bones in place but you'll further your injury if you do too much."

Sasuke nodded, they all knew he would have to push himself but the item would help him damage his leg less. Sai analyzed his work and stood up and looked at his arm on the same side in an awkward cast, "I can't do anything for your arm so you'll have to manage with just your right arm."

Sasuke gave another nod, he was right-handed anyways. His eyes widened mildly as Sai then pulled out three guns from the trunk, "Where'd you get those?"

Sai kept a neutral face as he handed one to Naruto and Sasuke low enough Ino couldn't see in the rear-view mirror, "They're mine, stole them from my uncle in case he came after me. Neji will just be using his fighting skills since he's skilled enough for Danzo's men not to see him coming. Fire the guns as a last resort because the gunshot will raise an alarm and shoot at their legs so they can't chase or go for help but will survive long enough for the police to get here."

Sasuke stared down at the gun in his hand; he had gone shooting a couple times at the station with his brother but never thought he would have to shoot somebody. His face quickly became serious; he would have the chance to kill Danzo. Every time he thought of Danzo all he wanted to do was make him pay and now he would have the chance. He didn't care what he had to do as long as he got Sakura back safe and made Danzo suffer for hurting her. Sai analyzed Sasuke's expression, "I also advise we hide the guns in our jackets until we get inside, I don't want Ino to become alarmed if she thinks were heading out to kill people."

Everyone nodded and hid them well and went over the best plan they could come up with and how to act in different scenarios. They all glanced at each other trying to find assurance in each other's eyes and were filled with determination as the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. Naruto gave a determined face, "Let's go save Sakura-chan!"

**_meanwhile_**

Itachi paced back and forth in the police station with an angry look on his face but was completely overwhelmed with concern. He couldn't believe how reckless his brother was. A nurse had spotted Naruto and somebody else help his brother escape and Itachi was positive they were going out on their own mission to save Sakura. Sai still hadn't been spotted so it wouldn't surprise him that they had Sai with them as well. Itachi gripped the side of the counter as his mind went on rampage with worry over the possible danger Sasuke was in. His brother was injured and set out on some rescue mission that would probably get him killed; he couldn't stand the idea of losing his brother. Itachi had sworn to himself since the day that Sasuke was born that he would do anything to protect him but now he had no means to find and protect him. Itachi clenched his jaw, he should've never left him alone at the hospital.

**_inside the factory_**

Sakura's whole body ached as she fluttered her eyes open. She waited for her eyes to stop blurring and then looked around; she frowned realizing she must've past out. Sakura's heart picked up in nerves at the small amount of sunlight coming through the only window above her. _How long was I out? _Sakura tried to push aside her nerves and slowly stood to see how far she loosened the ropes around her wrists before she passed out. She ignored the small amount of blood on her wrists from struggling so hard and gave a small smile at how much she loosened the ropes. Sakura could move her wrists back and forth a couple inches freely through the ropes. Sakura bit down on the ropes and tugged as hard she could ignoring her dizziness and gasped for air as she finally freed one of her hands. She panted trying to calm down her aching body and stared at her free hand. She gave a smile ignoring all the irritated tissue and spots of blood where the ropes were and quickly used her free hand and teeth to tug at the rest of the ropes. She fell to the ground once she freed her other hand and laid on the dusty ground a moment letting the dizziness fade away.

She slowly pushed herself up and glanced around the room; with the sun finally up and beginning to shine through the window she could see everything around her and the exit. She stood firm and walked slowly since her body still swayed from blood loss. She kicked off her heels since they weren't helping her balance and she knew they would only inhibit her escape. She narrowed her eyes and picked up a metal bar lying on the ground and began to make her way towards the exit. Her heart pounded in fear at how many men would be behind the door; she kept the bar tight in her hand and opened the door as quietly as she could. To her luck the abandoned factory door did not creak and she glanced at the back of one man guarding the door. Her knees shook but she knew she needed to act quickly and raised the metal bar in the air. She gasped as the man began to turn around and she slammed the bar on the back of his head as hard as she could. Sakura breathed hard with eyes wide in fear as the man fell to the ground completely knocked out. She stared at the blood coming out of the man's head hardly believing what she just did. She clenched the metal bar in her hands and shook her head, she need to escape. Sakura pulled her vision away from the injured man and looked down the dimly lit hallway, she ran.

**_outside the factory_**

Sai carefully glanced through the window near an entrance and watched as two men talked and kept their backs to the door. Sai kneeled down and whispered to the teens beside him, "Remember, use guns as a last resort. Neji there's two men not paying much attention near door, we'll go in fast and knock them out."

Neji nodded as they slowly crept towards the door. Sai clenched his hand on the door handle pausing a moment with utter seriousness on his face. He threw the door open for Neji, "Now!"

The two men turned quickly as Neji sped through the doorway rocketing towards them. They reached for their guns as Sai came in behind him but Neji had already gripped both their shirts and swung them into the wall. The two men coughed as the breath was knocked out of them but struggled to get up and reached for their guns again. Neji quickly grabbed one plunging his knee into the man's stomach and slamming the side of his hand into the back of his neck as the man hunched over in pain. At the same time Sai rocketed towards the other man with at tight fist at his side and swung his fist up nailing the man with an uppercut that targeted a nerve immediately knocking him out. Sai watched as both men crumbled to the ground unconscious and listened as Naruto and Sasuke walked in behind him. Sai motioned for them to come over giving a small lesson on what nerves to aim for that would knock them out, "Also remember the next won't be so easy."

They all nodded and began jogging their way down the dimly lit hall keeping their senses focused on everything around them. They continued down the hall opening a few doors to find nobody inside until they hit a break in the hallway with three paths. Sai analyzed the situation knowing they didn't have much time, "Neji take left, I'll go straight, Naruto help Sasuke go right."

They all agreed knowing it was best for somebody to stay with Sasuke incase his injuries became too hard to manage. Naruto glanced at them as they prepared to go their separate ways, "You two better make it out okay."

Sai and Neji nodded and began making their way down the different hallways. Naruto turned to Sasuke, "Let's go Teme."

Sakura leaned against a wall breathing hard trying to make the dizziness fade away. She panicked and ran away trying to escape not thinking about how unstable her body was for running. She lost about a pint of blood but had nothing in her body to help her create more blood. Sakura glanced down the dim hallway feeling weak but kept the metal bar tight in her hands; she slowly walked down the hallway still leaning against the way for support and made a quick glance down another hallway. She came immediately tense and pressed her body hard against the wall, another man was coming. Sakura's heart was pounding in her chest as her body shook in fear; she needed to knock him out. Sakura glanced to the side listening to his footsteps as she held the metal bar up straight holding it like a baseball bat. She prayed he wouldn't notice her as she tried ignoring her fear. She held her breath as she could hear him approaching the corner and prepared to swing her weapon.

The second she saw him come into view she slammed the metal bar into him with all her strength. She nailed him in the chest and he tumbled over in pain. Sakura panicked realizing she didn't knock him out and he could scream for help. Her eyes were wide in terror as she watched him heave and begin reaching for his gun. Sakura stared at the back of his head paralyzed at the image of the previous man she knocked out bleeding. Sakura wanted to be a doctor, she wanted to help people, heal people…not risk killing them. Sakura gasped in panic as he grabbed his gun and closed her eyes as she slammed the metal bar down on him. Sakura's heart tightened as she heard the sickening sound and slowly opened her eyes. He was lying on the floor bleeding from the top of his neck no longer conscious. Sakura shook in fear but this time it was in fear she killed him; she slowly leaned down to check his pulse but stopped catching her eyes on the gun beside his hand. She stood there a moment and decided she didn't want to know if she killed him; if she did she'd break down right there and not be able to escape. She picked up the gun reluctantly but knew it could come in use later. She glanced down the next hallway again and tried to ignore the bleeding man as she began to walk down her new path.

Neji kept his senses on high as he quietly walked down another hall, he knew he needed to give off the prescence of one of Danzo's henchmen the best he could. Neji had taken out two more men when he was checking a room and accidently got himself caught. He almost didn't make it in time to stop them setting off a gun and alarming the whole place. His shoulder was aching from when he took down one man the other slammed his elbow into him but it was the only injury he sustained. Neji being the genius he was took one of their clothes so he could blend in better with the rest of Danzo's men. Neji kept his head low as he approached three men sitting at a table complaining about their lack of time with women due to their job. Neji came tense as the men turned their heads to them and gave a wave but one started to analyze him, not recognizing Neji. "Hey…when did you start wor-"

Neji quickly cut him off by slamming his head into the table hard enough to knock him out and sending the other two into an alarm. Neji quickly flipped over the small table landing behind one of the men, did a quick spin hitting the back of his neck, and tossed the knocked out man at the other man reaching for his gun. Neji ignored his sore shoulder as the remaining man shoved his partner off him. Neji quickly sped over to him kicking the gun out of his hand as the man began to stand. The man growled and used the opening to aim a punch at Neji's face; he ducked down swinging his leg out to knock the man off his feet. Neji eyed the man as he fell quickly pulling him back up and slamming his knee into the man's stomach and then slamming the side of his hand into his neck. Neji caught his breath as he watched the man finally lay unconscious on the floor; he glanced at his surroundings and saw an open room with nobody in it. He pulled the three unconscious men into the room to void alarm of any more men coming by. Neji shut the door behind him and began to make his way further into the building.

Sai trudged further through the building; he had taken out one more man so far. Sai knew his uncle's habits and knew he wouldn't have more than twenty-five men with him and would about six surrounding him at all times. As long as Sakura wasn't struggling she would only have one or two guarding her. There was also no sense of alarm yet so their rescue mission was going pretty well. Due to timing and how Danzo arranged his men that meant around half of his henchmen had already come into contact him or his comrades. Sai's eyed widened as he turned onto another hall and saw a man lying unconscious on the floor. Sai quietly ran to him knowing the body needed to be hidden but was surprised by the blood on the back of his head; no physical attack could cause that much bleeding. Sai's eyes widened further as he saw another unconscious man further down the hall and a door part way open. Sai cautiously jogged to the next man and glanced at the room he was lying in front of. There were two posts holding up a bar with ropes still tangled to it and a pair of silver heels on the floor. Sai stood eyes wide in shock. _She escaped…_

Naruto walked beside Sasuke down a new hall; they hadn't ran into anybody yet. Naruto made a quick glance at Sasuke and focused back on the path before him, "So…out of curiosity…the car accident happened on your way home from dinner…anything good happen before then?"

Sasuke's mind traced over the memory and made a small smirk as they kept their voices low, "Let's just say you lost that bet we made."

Naruto's eyes widened as he fought the urge to yell. Naruto made a few irritated sounds as they continued walking till his urge to be loud died away, "Ugh…are you serious? Man, do you have any idea what Neji will do to me when he sees me ask Hinata-chan out in front of the whole school? You better give me a great funeral…ugh, well I'm happy for you man. Told you Sakura-chan could like even an ice cube like you."

Sasuke's smirk grew mildly thinking of Naruto's embarrassment over the future event and kept his focused before him, "Thanks, but let's not talk about funerals till we're out of here."

Naruto gave a determined nod, "You got it."

Both of their eyes quickly widened as they entered a clearing and found five men staring at them and reaching for their guns. They could tell they weren't close enough to physically fight them. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and moved on instinct and used his gun to shoot one of them through the leg. Naruto quickly flipped over a rusty metal table and pulled Sasuke behind it as gunfire echoed through the factory, "Shit!"

**_at the police station_**

Itachi turned as his parents and Sakura's father came rushing through the door. Seito Haruno looked at him with petrified eyes, "Have they found anything?"

Itachi hardened his face and shook his head and gave a serious glance at his parents, "But Sasuke escaped the hospital almost two hours ago and is somewhere set out on a rescue mission."

Mikoto's face filled with concern, "What!? I thought you were watching him!"

Itachi fought guilt from crossing his face, "I went to the cafeteria to get coffee and when I came back he was gone…Naruto is more clever than I thought."

Fugaku put his arm around his wife's shoulders as she began to panic with worry. Sakura's father was quickly approached by an officer so a detailed report could be explained to him; they prepared to go to another room but were stopped by a teenage girl passing through the door. "I know where they are."

Everyone turned to Hinata as she put forth a serious, "I know where Sakura and the others are, but we must hurry they could be in terrible danger right now."

Everyone's eyes filled with hope and Inabi gathered his officers as Hinata gave him the address and explained the situation.

**_at the abandoned factory_**

Sakura gasped as she heard a gunshot echo through the building. Her heart picked up pace as she clenched the gun and metal bar in each of her hands and made her way further down the hall. If a gun was fired that meant an intruder must've come in. There was a chance police had finally found her and as much hope as that gave her she also knew that in the next couple minutes there was without a doubt Danzo would know she escaped.

Sai cursed as he heard the gunshot and quickly put down the second man Sakura knocked out in the room she was suppose to be in and shut the door behind him. Sai quickly ran down the hall with his gun now in hand prepared to use everything his uncle taught him against him.

Neji popped his head up at the gunfire as he stood above another man he just knocked out. His expression harshened as he decided to take the gun from the fallen man and not bother hiding him since the whole building would be in alarm now. Neji sprinted down another hall with gun in hand as he tried to figure out where the gunshot had come from.

Danzo's eyes widened as him and the five men around him heard the gunshot. Danzo growled in rage not even believing there was a possibility of them being found, "Get the girl!"

Naruto cursed again as the enemy began to open fire against them as him and Sasuke still hid behind a rusty metal table. Sasuke clenched his gun, "We have to shoot. We have cover and they don't, we have to take them down before the get to us!"

Naruto clenched his hand around his gun completely hating the idea of shooting but knew Sasuke was injured and he had to protect him, "Then let's just do it!"

The man Sasuke had already shot was lying on the ground holding his shot leg in agony but his four comrades ignored him as they tried to kill the two best friends. Naruto quickly leaned past the side of the table as a bullet bounced off it and made two shots toward a man. He was shot in the arm and dropped his gun as Naruto quickly leaned back behind the table for cover. Within two seconds Sasuke ducked out far enough to take a shot and leaned back for cover managing to shoot a man in the leg. Naruto leaned out again taking a shot but missed, "How come you're so good with a gun!?"

Sasuke paused a moment as the remaining two, unharmed men continued to shoot. Hearing an opening Sasuke leaned out again and shot them both in the leg, "Practiced with Itachi at the station!"

Both teens cautiously leaned out to see all five men down but reaching for their guns; they took that as their cue to run. Naruto kept his gun pointed as they ran part way through the clearing and into a new hall, "Why didn't you ever take me!? Your family makes up almost the entire force!"

Sasuke ignored the raging pain in his leg as they ran and kept his eyes focused on his surroundings, "Never though I'd come to use."

Danzo ran with five men protectively around him as they reached Sakura's captivity room. Danzo snarled that he no longer had a man guarding the door but assumed it was because he went to fight whomever the intruders were. Danzo quickly followed his men as they swung the door open and nearly stumbled over two of his men lying unconscious on the floor. Danzo lifted his head in a panic to find Sakura nowhere in sight but her shoes laying where she was suppose to be. Danzo tightened his fists in rage, "No! Find her! Find me the damn tramp now!"

Sakura's body shook in fear as she turned another corner; the gunfire had ceased but she didn't know who won. Sakura opened a door and cursed to find it had no windows for her to escape through. She left the door open and continued to hurry down the hall as fast as her dizzy body would take her. She hoped with her life whomever the intruders were had come to save her. Sakura halted in her tracks as she heard somebody running in her direction; her heart raced in panic and she glanced around for a place to hide. Sakura quickly opened a door and shut it behind her hoping she wouldn't be found.

Neji raced down an empty hall even though he was sure he had heard something. He tossed the thought aside and kept his instincts on high as he continued to run. The gunfire had stopped which only left him with hope that his friends had won the fight and were unharmed. He kept the stolen gun tight in his hand preparing his mind for the possibility of shooting someone.

Naruto ran with Sasuke at his side as fast as Sasuke could manage. Sasuke cursed under his breath knowing the danger of Sakura and his friends was rising with every second. Sasuke clenched the gun in his hand, "We have to split up."

Naruto turned to him with a look of disbelief, "No way in hell! We're safer together."

Sasuke's expression harshened, "But Danzo could already be trying to move Sakura to a different location now. The best chance we have at finding her is splitting up before it's too late."

Naruto cursed knowing he was right but hated the idea of leaving Sasuke on his own while he was injured, "Damnit Sasuke…Fine! But you best as hell not have any more injuries next time I see you. Got it!"

Sasuke nodded and they split off into two different hallways. Sasuke ignored the pain burning through his body; he just had to keep going. He wouldn't stop until Sakura was safe in his arms. He wouldn't stop until Danzo was groveling on the ground in mercy.

Danzo growled as him and the five men surrounded him continued to run down the hall not even knowing if they were going the right way. He couldn't believe Sakura got loose. He couldn't believe the girl had taken out two of his men in her state; she was a much bigger threat than he thought. He glared as his men opened a few door to find nothing and continued to run; he didn't know he was going the wrong way. Danzo cursed, not only did Sakura escape on her own he had intruders and he was sure the intruders were there to save her. He'd only captured the girl about six hours ago and he had been found. There was no possible way the police could have found him that quickly; the only person who could be smart enough to find him was-

"Hello Danzo"

Danzo and his men swiftly turned to find Sai behind them with a rather unhappy look and gun in his hand.

**_author's notes_**

So a day later than planned but here it is! I hope that's a decent bit of drama and action and they'll be plenty more in the next chapter. I tried to make a realistic way of them finding Danzo and convey Sakura's emotions the best I could. No matter how badass Sakura is in the show she's still a modern day teenage girl in this so I wanted to try and show how that version of her would feel in that situation. Also I know I had mentioned ending this soon and then a review mentioned a sequel. I had expected this fanfic to go longer than this originally at this point I could end it in the next chapter but I do have enough ideas to make a **sequel **out of it. Saying that I also have another SasuSaku fanfic already in the works so do you guys think I should give a sequel or move on? Please review and let me know what you think!


	18. Home

**-A/N: **Hope you enjoy! And I promise it'll get better!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nartuo series…unfortunately :**..**(

_Italics like this mean its thoughts in a characters head_

**A New Life**

**Talk of sequel fanfic in author's comments!**

**Ch. 18 Home**

"Hello Danzo"

Danzo and his men swiftly turned to find Sai behind them with a rather unhappy look and gun in his hand. Danzo's heart stopped a moment before he became consumed with rage, "You little brat!"

Danzo quickly tried to think through a plan as his five men kept their guns in hand prepared to fight. Danzo eyes widened a little and he put forth a look of confidence, "Sai, I understand your mad but you must also understand I'm doing this for you. If you come with me now I'll let Sakura go."

Sai's face harshened even further as he pulled out a second gun in his other hand he stole from one of Danzo's men, "You've never had my best interest in mine, only yours…and don't try to pretend that Sakura hasn't escaped."

Danzo cursed under his breath and let his face fill with rage again, "I raised you! When your stupid parents died I took you and your brother in! You're brother was too pathetic to survive training so you must take his place! I made you what you are, you owe me for your life!"

Sai remained silent as he clenched his jaw hard. He tightened his hands around each gun and tried his best to keep an emotionless face, "You said my brother died from an accident walking home from school…"

Danzo paused a moment wishing he didn't bring that up but tried his best to keep Sai from attacking, "Your brother trained willingly; he trained so he could learn to protect you. I didn't force him to start training. He became sick in the middle of a training session unexpectedly and got killed, it's not my fault."

Sai's heart pounded furiously and he lifted an expression of pure rage, "Who in the hell let's a damn fourteen-year old risk his life for training like that!? All you do is put pain on people in this world and I'm going to rip you to shreds so you'll never do it again!"

Danzo's heart quickly picked up pace in fear as Sai lifted his guns; Danzo took a step back preparing to run, "Kill him!"

Sai was consumed with rage, something Danzo forbid him to do, but it didn't inhibit the skills he was forced to learn. Sai lifted both guns first quickly shooting the guns out of two of their hands and shooting another in the leg. He tumbled to the side as the remaining two shoot ferociously and shot one in the arm holding his gun as he rolled and got back on his feet. He kept his focus on high as one man remained with a gun and the two he didn't shoot were reaching for another gun. Sai quickly dropped one gun as he charged throwing a gunless man into the one firing and watched as they both went flying into the wall and one had accidently shot the other. Sai did a quick spin to the other man without a gun and did a barrage of bows into him before punching him so hard he was knocked out. Sai's expression remained tense with fury as he looked back at the man with a gun in his hand as he pushed off the comrade he accidently shot. Sai didn't give him the chance to stand and slammed his foot down so hard on the man's wrist, it broke, and he was forced to let go of his gun. Sai's ignored the man's scream of pain and plummeted his fist under his chin to knock him out.

Sai breathed heavy and stood firm analyzing the five men he took down. His heart continued to boil with rage knowing that Danzo had run off and was attempting to escape. Sai picked up two new guns and made sure they were full of ammo before he took off in the hunt to find his uncle.

Naruto ran as quickly as he could down another hall checking each room for Sakura. He still felt completely apprehensive about letting Sasuke go off on his own; they just had to find Sakura as quickly as possible so they could get out. Naruto's eyes widened a little remembering he had lost his bet with Sasuke and when they got out he would have to ask Hinata out in front of the whole school. A few minutes ago the whole idea made Naruto groan in embarrassment and fear of Neji but now it was becoming a goal of something he looked forward to when they all made it out safe. Naruto began to smile, if he was going to embarrass himself in front of the whole school he might as well go all out. Naruto skidded to a halt as he ran in front of a new hallway and two men saw him and began to shoot. Naruto cursed as he hid behind a wall; it was two against one, he had no chance of a surprise attack, he hardly knew how to shoot, and he was almost out of bullets. Naruto set off one gunshot into the hallway at them and then took off into a run.

Sasuke jogged as he could feel cold sweat on the back of his neck; the pain of his injuries were almost overwhelming. The only reason Sasuke could continue through the pain was his determination; he refused to leave this place without Sakura and making sure Danzo was going to suffer. Sasuke cursed as he opened another door and found nothing inside; gunfire was still going on in the building and he could only hope that none of his friends were hurt. Sasuke's mind thought over that statement again, was Sai his friend? Sasuke kept his hand clenched around his gun; with all the help Sai was giving and how much risk he was putting his life in for Sakura he would gladly call Sai his friend. Sasuke gave a small laugh under his breath knowing a week ago that would seem completely incomprehensible. Sasuke stumbled a little as the pain in his leg increased but he continued pushing himself and picked up his pace; he was not giving up.

Neji ran quickly deciding to run towards the sound of gunfire; with the place in so much chaos it was better to regroup since an altercation with the enemy was so much higher. Even though the chance of finding Sakura would be lowered it was a lot safer in numbers knowing that there was such a greater risk of them not coming out alive. Neji picked up his pace thinking of the risk; even with his life on the line he didn't regret his decision to come. He was keeping his cousin safe and he was doing the right thing. He barely knew Sakura but he knew she affected everyone positively and it would be a shame to lose her and horrendous thing to lose her in such a way. He wouldn't stand for such atrocious actions.

Danzo ran as fast as his body would take him with a gun in hand; he needed to escape. There was no doubt in his mind after watching how Sai trained that he would defeat those men. Sai was a prodigy; the greatest talent he ever trained but now he was coming after him. Now his prodigy was coming to kill him. Danzo couldn't believe how foul his plan turned; Sakura had ruined everything for him. If Sakura never existed then Sai would have remained under his care and became his best henchman; Sakura had destroyed all his plans and was the reason his life was in danger. Danzo wouldn't even need to do such a mission if she had never came into Sai's life; he probably would never even come into Konohagakure. Danzo raged as he continued to run for his life; if it was the last thing he did he was going to kill that girl.

Sakura leaned against the cool metal wall as she caught her breath and waited for the dizziness to fade away again. The effect of blood loss was really starting to get to her and she was terrified she wasn't going to make it out. She nervously gripped her hands back around her gun and started walking again feeling the cold floor under her feet. The beautiful mint green dress Mikoto had ordered her was soiled with dirt and blood and the braid Sakura's hair was held in to the side was falling apart. Blood had dried in a few strands of hair on the side of Sakura's face and she had dried blood running down from the side of her forehead, down her face, and to the neckline of her dress. The skin around her wrists were extremely irritated from the ropes and there were a few patches of blood where the skin was broken through but they weren't serious. All Sakura needed was to regain some blood and she'd be fine; once she escaped of course. Sakura trembled as she walked slow through the factory with gun in hand listening for every sound she could. Her ears perked as she heard somebody coming in her direction. Her heart raced in panic and she looked for a door but there was nowhere to hide. She shook in fear knowing she wasn't capable of running and she would have to face the person dead on. Sakura's heart raced frantically as she could hear the person's footsteps coming closer, they were slow. Sakura took a deep breath and held her gun up prepared to shoot; she had to. No matter how much Sakura's beliefs revolved around healing people if she wanted to get out alive she would have to shoot. Sakura clamed her breathing the best she could and prepared to turn the corner and shoot. Once the footsteps were close she turned the corner and prepared to fire.

Sasuke eyes went wide as Sakura quickly stepped out in front of him with a gun pointed at him prepared to fire and he was doing the same to her. They both froze realizing who was before them managing not to shoot each other. Sakura stared at Sasuke's face a moment hardly believing he was there and real. She blinked, he was still there. He was injured but he was still there. Sakura's trembling hands dropped the gun and tears started fill her eyes; he had come to save her. Sasuke was still standing in shock that he actually found her as she began to cry. Such heavy waves of relief twisted through him as he looked into her eyes and she reached out to him. He desperately pulled her into his arms and held her close in his arms and she began to sob. They both collapsed to the floor from pain, blood loss, and relief. Sasuke held her tight and let his fingers twist through her hair, "You're okay, it's okay…you're safe now."

Sakura nodded into his chest as she clung to him closely not wanting to let go. Sasuke nuzzled his face into her hair and kissed her head promising to never let her go. She was safe and that was all that mattered. He let her cry for a bit knowing she had been holding all that emotion in and then finally got a good look at her. When he first saw the blood down the side of her face he panicked but realized that the wound had stopped bleeding a while ago; he carefully wiped her hair away from the wound and kissed her forehead. He looked deep into her eyes, "Can you stand?"

Sakura wiped her eyes and nodded. Sasuke watched carefully as she used the wall to slowly help her stand; he could tell she lost a good bit of blood. He stood too using his uninjured foot to push all his weight up. Sakura analyzed all the bandaging and awkward cast on Sasuke as he stood, "You're really hurt…"

Sasuke knew she was beginning to get guilty about how hard he was pushing his body to be there. He put a hand on her cheek making sure they had direct eye contact, "Nothing was going to stop me from coming to save you."

Sakura's heart picked up pace but it was finally not from fear; she gave a beautiful smile that Sasuke had eagerly been waiting to see and happy tears pricked her eyes. Sasuke grabbed her hand and picked his gun back up just in case and gave a smile at her, "Let's get you out of here."

Naruto roughly tumbled behind some debris of the factory for cover as the two men continued to shoot at him. He cursed and held his gun close; he was trying not to panic. Naruto let off a couple shots and cursed as he continued to miss, he had two bullets left. Naruto took a deep breath and quickly pulled all his focus knowing he had to shoot perfectly or he wasn't going to see the next day. Naruto leaned out taking a clean shot right through one of the men's leg. The man quickly fell to the ground and his gun spun across the ground away from him. Naruto tried to keep his focus knowing that last bullet was all the protection he had left; it was his life or the other's. He just had to shoot him it didn't matter where. Naruto gulped building all his confidence and waited for the man to stop firing. The second he heard to gunfire cease Naruto ran out into the massive clearing of the factory and took his last shot, "Take this Dattebayo!"

Naruto's heart sunk as the bullet grazed the man's shoulder and he was now left out in the open with no time hide. His blue eyes widened as the man cursed but kept his gun firm in his hand and pointed in at Naruto's chest. Naruto's eyes widened in a panic knowing those were his final moments and waited for his life to flash before his eyes but all he saw was Hinata. Naruto took a step back as the man put his finger on the trigger wishing he could've at least told Hinata how he felt.

Naruto was swung to the ground as the gunshot went off and Neji was hovering over him just shot through his side. Naruto's eyes went horridly wide as Neji collapsed to his knees but stayed in front of Naruto for protection. Naruto pushed himself off the ground and he watched blood seep through Neji's clothes, "N-No…"

Neji gripped his side and breathed hard as he used his other hand to support himself. He glared at Naruto trying to catch his attention and glanced his eyes down at the gun on the floor he had brought with him. Naruto followed his gaze still utterly in shock but his mind cleared the second he saw the gun. The man was preparing to shoot again and Neji couldn't take another shot. Naruto quickly grabbed the gun and prayed he could make it; he made a quick shot clean through the man's arm holding the gun. Naruto's breathed hard as the man collapsed and gripped his arm in pain; he quickly directed his attention back to Neji and leaned to meet his gaze, "Why did you do that!"

Neji winced at the pain but tried his best to stay calm, "Hinata…would never get over…if you died."

Naruto's eyes widened at what he was implying and he fumbled for words. Naruto shook his head trying his best to push his hope over what Neji implied away knowing he needed to focus on Neji, "We need to get you out of here!"

Neji nodded, he had been lucky. He was shot right below his left lung and through one rib; any higher and he would have blood filling his lung. Naruto wrapped Neji's right arm around his shoulders to help him stand and walk as Neji kept pressure with his left hand on his bullet wound. Naruto hurriedly got them out of the clearing before the men could reach for their guns again and tried his best to figure out where an exit was.

Ino sat nervously in her car outside the factory; she had heard all the gunfire and it was driving her crazy with worry. She had called Hinata in a panicked frenzy and to make sure ambulances would come but the wait was killing her. She quickly turned in her seat as she watched cops cars pull up; she sprung out of her car as officers began piling out of cars. She pointed at the building her friends went into hoping the police weren't too late, "Hurry! They're in that building and a lot of gunfire has been going off, you have to hurry!"

Itachi stepped out of Inabi's car trying not to panic at what Ino had said; his brother was severely injured and possibly shot or dead. Inabi and him had a long argument in the car but in the end Inabi refused to let Itachi go in the building. Itachi and Ino watched as two-dozen officers began to enter the building and a few ambulances began to pull up. _Please let them be okay!_

Sakura gasped as the pain got the best of Sasuke and he collapsed to the ground accidently taking her down with him. They laid at the edge of a wide clearing in the building trying their best to try and find their way out. Sakura pushed herself into a sitting position, ignoring her dizziness, "Are you okay?"

Sasuke groaned and sat up finding it impossible to ignore the intense pain coming from his leg, he had been on it too long and knew he worsened the injury. He took a deep breath trying not to increase Sakura's concern, "I'm fine…I just lost my balance."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and gripped her hand tightly around his, "Liar, you're in too much pain. You're pushing yourself too hard."

Sasuke's expression tensed trying to bare the pain, "It doesn't matter, we still have to get out of here."

"I don't think so."

Sasuke and Sakura quickly turned their heads to find Danzo walking towards them with intense rage all over his face. Sasuke quickly pulled Sakura behind him and reached for his gun; his eyes widened realizing his gun had spun ten feet away when he fell. Danzo smirked, "That's right, you're defenseless so back away from that little bitch and I might spare you."

Sasuke's heart raced in panic but he kept a glare on his face, "I won't let you touch her!"

Danzo's temper burned as he pulled out a gun and pointed it at Sasuke's head, "Get out of my way! That little tramp has ruined everything and she's going to get what she deserves!"

Sasuke stood on his knees with his arms out trying his best to use his body to protect Sakura. Sakura panicked and tugged on Sasuke's shirt to make him move, "Sasuke-kun no! He'll shoot you!"

Sasuke stayed firm in front of her and glared at Danzo, "I won't move!"

Danzo hissed and put his finger on the trigger, "Fine! You want to die together?! Perfect! I'll rid the world of both your annoying, pathetic existences and never have to look at your fa-"

Everyone's eyes widened as Danzo was shot in the arm and he dropped his gun. Sasuke and Sakura turned to find Sai stepping into the clearing with an intense anger on his face and blood spatters on his clothes. Sai narrowed his eyes as Danzo reached for his gun again; he shot him in the leg. Danzo screamed in pain as he collapsed and stared up as Sai stood a few feet from him with his gun pointed at his face. Sai watched Danzo's eyes trying to find some sort of regret but there was none. Danzo glared at his nephew, "If you're going to kill me, kill me!"

Sai's expression harshened and he put his finger on the trigger and let the gun go off. Danzo's eyes widened as Sai shot the ground beside his face. Sai lowered his gun, "I'm going to enjoy watching you rot in jail."

Sai walked over to Sakura and Sasuke letting Sasuke relax from his position. Sai stood a couple feet from them and gave a small smile, "I'm glad to see you're both alright."

Both gave a small smile in return as the police finally flooded in and helped them out of the building and arrested Danzo. An officer carried Sakura due to her dizziness and put her on her feet once they got outside near the ambulance and Ino swung her arms around her and blubbered about how worried she was. Itachi watched as two men lifting Sasuke up so he didn't have to walk finally put him down and he could make his way over to him. Sasuke glanced over as he saw his brother racing over to him, "Itac-"

Sasuke's eyes widened as his brother slapped him but then wrapped him in a tight hug. Itachi held onto his little brother preciously, "Don't you ever do anything so stupid again!"

Sasuke's expression relaxed and he hugged his brother back. Sai went straight to Inabi to explain the situation and how many men they should expect to find. Neji had already been put in an ambulance on his way to the hospital with Naruto accompanying him were Neji would go into surgery but then be headed on his way to a perfect recovery.

**_at the hospital_**

All the teens had been sent to the hospital and Sakura sat in a hospital being hooked up to an IV and later blood. The dried blood had thankfully been already washed off when her father came bursting through the doors. "Sakura!"

Sakura to see her father's emotional face and didn't even get the chance to say anything before he wrapped his arms around her. He gripped her so tight she could hardly breathe but she didn't mind. Seito Haruno let tears of relief fall down his face as he held his precious daughter, "Thank God, thank God you're okay…I was so worried."

Sakura wrapped her arms tight around her father starting to get emotional again by his reaction, "I love you Daddy."

Sasuke was back on a hospital bed where he would stay the next couple of days under his very watchful brother when his parents came flying through the door with Mikoto already in tears. Mikoto flung her arms around her youngest son, "My baby! I'm so glad you're okay!"

She lifted herself up with tears still running down her face as she gave him a parental glare, "Don't you ever do anything so stupid again! Even though it was the most romantic thing I've ever heard of, I am going to lock you in a room for the rest of your life if you do something like that again!"

Before Sasuke had the chance to respond his mother wrapped her arms around him again and continued to smother him. Sasuke watched as his father stepped closer feeling mildly scared of what he was going to say. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw a tear in the corner of his father's eye. "I love you…and you're grounded."

**_a week later_**

Naruto paced in front of the school as his heart pounded in nerves; students were just starting to file out of the building and he was beyond nervous. He had a bouquet of elaborate flowers behind his back that he was trying his hardest to hide as he could already feel himself turning red. Naruto gasped and stood straight hiding the flowers as Sakura led Hinata out the door with Sasuke at her side and all their friends behind her, "H-Hey Hinata-chan!"

Hinata's eyes widened wondering why he was standing in the middle of the courtyard in front of the school, "H-Hello"

Sakura and Ino gave a big grin as they pushed Hinata forward so she was standing right in front of Naruto. Sakura smile widened as Hinata's blush became heavier and she leaned back to hold Sasuke's uncasted hand. Naruto could feel his knees shaking as Hinata stood in front of him and people began to stare. Hinata noticed the redness to his cheeks, "Naruto-kun, A-Are you okay?"

Naruto took a deep breath and leaned on one knee and pulled out his bouquet of flowers screaming loud enough for the whole school to hear, "Will you please go out with me!"

All the students in front of the school went quiet and stared. Naruto's face burned as he waited for Hinata's answer. She had to let the words fully absorb not believing what he said. Naruto started to panic as tears suddenly streamed down her face but then she gave the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen. "I-I'd love to."

All the students cheered as Ino squealed. Naruto nervously handed her the flowers and held one of her hands as they began walking to his car. Sakura giggled in joy as Sasuke held her hand and Neji sat in the background with his friends actually smiling. Sasuke stared down at his girlfriend with a small smile and began to lead her towards his car. Sakura had gotten two stitches on her forehead but the wound was mostly healed and her wrists healed completely. All of Sasuke's stitches were close to healing; he would have scars on his left arm and leg but he couldn't care less. His parents paid for an expensive surgery to fix his leg up so he wouldn't have to be in a wheel chair since his left arm was still in a cast that we would take off in a few weeks.

Sakura couldn't keep the smile off her face as they walked through the parking lot, "I'm so happy for them! I was really worried Hinata was going to faint but it went great…I still can't believe you guys made a bet on that though."

Sasuke shrugged, "It was Naruto's idea."

Sakura blushed and made a nervous glace towards Sasuke, "So…if you lost…what would you have done?"

Sasuke unlocked his car as Sakura leaned against the side and he stood in front of her still holding her hand. He looked at her blushing face and gave a small smile, "I'm not one for shouting so…I'd probably get an arrangement of flowers that would spell it out and have it set up covering the courtyard."

Sakura gave a big smile trying to imagine it, "I didn't know you were such a romantic."

Sasuke leaned in closer, "Tell anyone and I'll have to punish you."

Sakura's heart picked up pace as she looked deep in his eyes, "How would you do that?"

Sasuke looked deep into her eyes pausing a moment and let go of her hand and placed it on her cheek. He slowly ran his hand to behind her neck, "This…"

Sakura got goose bumps as he kissed her and her heart pounded madly in her chest. She placed her hands on his chest and stood on her tiptoes to bring them closer. Kissing was still new between them but there were easily fireworks there since the beginning. They both slowly pulled away and waited for the butterflies to die down as they stared at each other. Sakura gave a big smile never feeling so content in her life, "Come on, you're grounded we have to get you home."

Sasuke smirked as he opened her door for her, "I'm hardly grounded when my mother says you're the exception to any punishment I get."

Sakura giggled as she sat in her seat and Sasuke go into his side of the car; even through all the struggles she had gone though since she moved to Konohagakure it was all worth it. She would honestly go through the whole event with Danzo again if it meant she could be as happy as she was now. She had great friends that Sai was now included into, a wonderful father, a beautiful home, and most importantly she had Sasuke. Her and Sasuke had each other and were prepared to face any struggle that came their way; there was nothing that could separate them.

End of Arc

**_author's notes_**

So I did decide to cut this fanfic off here; I thought it was really good timing in the story to do it and I feel like their lives should be wonderfully simple after all that for a while. Having that said, or written really, because of so many requests I will be doing a sequel. The sequel will have pretty much a year time skip and I already have some ideas so hopefully you'll see it in the next week or two. As for the other SasuSaku fanfic I have in the works this will give me time to work out the kinks and I'm not very far in anyways. I'll still have Forgotten running so I'll be doing two fanfics for a while. The sequel will start getting into Ino's relationship more; I know I haven't really given you that even though I have a poll but to be honest I may do something different than top voted but I'll keep it light since not everybody will like the pairing. Anyways review please! I answer reviews now so also feel free to ad questions! If you're a guest user I'll write them in the first chapter of the sequel.


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